Journey to the heart of Provence

Let’s deliberately start with the clichés so that they can be put to one side. When someone says Provence, which wine do you think about? Probably rosé, just like the overwhelming majority of people asked the same question. Admittedly, it does account for 90% of production. And yet, in our very stringent selection of 36 wines from across the region (pages 128 to 130), there are only 21 rosés, alongside 8 whites and 7 reds. This offers irrefutable proof of the fact that Provence has many other stories to tell.

The wine region stretches from the western Bouches-du-Rhône department to Nice, spanning a half-dozen appellations as well as some remarkable PGIs, invariably producing red, rosé and white wines. These include some real gems such as Bandol in Var and Bellet, in Alpes-Maritimes, in the far eastern part of the region. Just imagine the kind of variety of vineyard sites, and consequently styles, that this vast swathe of land can produce. On top of this is an incredible mosaic of landscapes, some coastal, some mountainous, punctuated by iconic mountains such as the Sainte-Baume, Sainte-Victoire, Maures and Estérel.

Provence is all this and more, certainly more than just a few ultra-publicised coastal resorts where there is an endless flow of rosés at eye-watering prices! So join us on an introductory trip to meet those who make wines and tend to their vines all year round, day in day out.

By Florian Glemot, dipwset photographs - courtesy of the estates