Camille was beyond warm and welcoming! We came during the off season when tours were unavailable,…read moreyet she provided us with so much information about the wines we were purchasing. She even gave us a small taste of a few! Afterwords she walked us out- but before saying goodbye, she showed us a lovely view on the side of the building overlooking the ocean and provided us with restaurant recommendations. Lovely experience.

If we could give 10 stars it wouldn't be enough…read more As a sommelier, ex wine director and a lover of Bandol, finally visiting my favorite winery on the planet was a bucket list item. Expectations were exceeded on every level. MAEVA, our host has joined the winery and is offering private tastings for the first time. And WOW, she blew us and our other guests, including a NYC sommelier out of the water. The wines are unique and incredible and the 3 hours we spent were amazing. The care was personal, the setting in the the cellar perfect, and recalled my time working in Napa. Can't recommend it enough! Go!!!

The Wine. The hospitality. The view. All 5 stars…read more Did my tasting with Victoria the owner. Her family have been at the work for four generations (think the vineyard was founded in 1935). Lovely lady, very kindly put up with my terrible French, walked me through the wines, showed me the vineyard and shared stories with me. Not snobbery at all, just a friendly passionate person. All her wines are fantastic. The Rose is widely reviewed as one of the top 5 in Provence. Could taste that; it's neither as saline heavy as many other Provence rose, nor is it a candy store fruit basket. Stuck in the middle, complex, enjoyable. The white is from a plot they just bought with a completely different soil composition. It's so light and delicate. You think it would be an insult to say it drinks like water, but it's like flowery, melon-y, peachy water. So good. So refreshing. The red is also excellent. Drank the '14 and '15. Both are well balanced. '15 is a little more fruit forward, but mellowed by 18 months in oak. '14 is more. Dark, brooding. Bought a bottle to carry home. To get there: I Hiked out to Bandol wine country from the train station (Beautiful, but highly recommend catching the bus from the train station or renting a car... it's far). Beautiful Rocky Mountains (the last of the Alps) and vines upon vines make up the view. You pass a charming high school and beyond that is the Chateau. They have 60 acres of grapes, and the majority are gathered around the house.

An urban winery set in Marseilles, Microcosmos Chai Urbain crafts Provence style wines in red,…read morewhite, and rose. Passion reigns supreme in every hand-produced bottle of wine, as the owners ensure each bottle of wine is a delicate, expressive wine with a good deal of character. I toured the winery with one of my friends, and we got to taste a selection of wines. The owners were so friendly and you can really tell how much they respect their craft. Fabienne really understands the science behind the fermentation of the grapes, and each grape is grown and stored in a special cellar in Marseilles. We sampled a white, red, and two rose wines. The Marvin 2015 pur Mourvèdre de Provence, a gorgeous, fragrant rose wine, was my favorite. I even purchased a bottle to enjoy with lunch. It was light in colour, with subtle fruity notes that were delicious. The wines are refreshing, focusing on the natural flavors of the grape variety, and are never heavy. The owners are a wonderful duo who make the entire winery more than a hobby, but a lifestyle. Their friendly, outgoing personality shows in each of their bottles, and they provide a great experience touring their urban winery. Wine lovers in the heart of Marseilles will find delicious, delicate wines at Microcosmos Chai Urbain. A gorgeous place to enjoy a glass and share a story, as the owners are knowledgeable and ready to pass on their love of fine wines with all their guests. It was a wonderful experience and the wine was delicious!

Craft beers and microbreweries are everywhere. Now it's time for wine business to undergo the same…read moretransformation. Microcosmos is a cool little outfit producing wine on a very small scale, from locally-sourced organic grapes. The approach is traditional, but with a modern twist. This urban winery is also run by two passionate individuals who will be more than happy to share their knowledge with you. Red, white and rose are produced on-site. You can visit, taste and buy at the same time in a relaxed atmosphere. No need to be an expert, or to speak French. Go and have a look if you are in Marseille, you won't be disappointed.

The very first warm bread I had during this Italy and France trip. Intense olive oil went very…read morewell with the bread. Vegetarian friendly. Many different vegetables come with the main course. Excellent wines to go with the meal. Friendly service and relaxing environment. Definitely a great winery to visit and stay for lunch.

From the owner: Dans un cadre atypique et chaleureux face à la montagne Sainte Victoire, au coeur de notre moulin à…read morehuile et de notre cave, notre Chef Sylvain DEVAUX vous propose une cuisine inventive et raffinée qui vous fera découvrir les produits de notre ferme mariés à nos vins et huiles d'olive. En effet, notre ferme produit : cochons, pintades, faisans, perdrix, poulets... Nous disposons également d'un potager où poussent des fruits et légumes. Ceci nous permet de vous proposer des produits frais au rythme des saisons. Nous avons également choisi de présenter nos formules de manière inattendue. Une carte ? Ça n'existe pas chez nous ! Mais notre ardoise émoustille vos papilles et vous suggère des mets inventifs au fil des semaines. Elle vous propose ainsi 3 entrée, 3 plats et 3 desserts qui évoluent en fonction de nos productions et des saisons. Exemple de repas : Biscuit au Parmesan, Chips de Jambon Fumé, et Coulis de Poivron à la Versinthe *** Minute de Millefeuille de Sardines à la Framboise

My group of 3 did the rose excursion with Brian. I can't think of a more memorable way to celebrate…read moreProvence's bounty of good wine and food than indulge in this one-of-a-kind wine "lesson" (which, for us, was more of a boozy, let's-drink-and-laugh-and-celebrate-life excursion). Brian picked us up from Aix and drove us along a scenic route stretching along Mount Ste. Victoire. We arrived at a local winery where we sampled red, white, and rose wines. We walked amongst the vines, had a great time and eventually made it to a secluded park where we set up a picnic table and drank 2 bottles of rose, ate fresh baguettes from the market and nibbled on fresh strawberries and grapes. All this epicurean goodness while drenched in the golden, Provencale sun and surrounded by the very landscape that inspired Cezanne's paintings. Does it get any better? Only if you have great company to do it with (and I did!). I would relive this afternoon again in a heartbeat. Some quick tips: -This wonderful afternoon excursion was approximately 80 euros a person, which included all the bites, (lots of) wine, and transportation. -I highly recommend it to anyone traveling through Provence who is more comfortable speaking English (although our host was also fluent in French). -Our host was very knowledgeable and personable. If you are serious about tasting wine and learning about it, the Wine in Provence folks have your back. -Wine in Provence offers other great wine tastings, cooking classes and winery tours.

My wife and I are traveling Europe with another couple and stopped in Aix for a few days. We just…read morefinished "The Best of Aix" tour with Hilary and had a great time. She took us shopping in the market, olive oil tasting, to the cheese shop, the wine shop and back for a cooking class to pair a three course lunch we cooked with three wines. We made a quiche, fruit dessert and a little app and it was all delicious! I can't say enough about this tour. Hilary was incredibly bubbly and knowledgable. She was on a cheek kissing basis with everyone, even the cheese guy who scowled at the rest of the locals. I recommend this tour to anyone and everyone traveling in Aix!

A beautiful landscape surrounded by acres of pure nature and fields of olive trees …read more The complimentary wine tasting allowed us to discover and select the perfect wine for our palate and dinner pairings. A special thanks to Monsieur Anthoine for his kindness and the time he took to thoroughly answer all our questions--his passion truly elevated the experience. The open terrace setting made it even more enjoyable, especially when paired with a lovely charcuterie board. A relaxing and memorable visit overall.

Saw this winery on food & wine on instagram and bookmarked in case I ever went back to aix. Low and…read morebehold here I am again this time for a wedding. Only 20 minute drive from city center Aix through windy roads of lush green hills and trees. So beautiful thru the driveway and into underground parking. They have a high end restaurant or an out door cafe which is nice after tasting wines or wandering thru the vineyard to see the many sculptures. (There is a fee to view the sculptures) Highly recommend a visit!

We booked this tour as a cruise excursion and we didn't realize we were arriving at Toulon and not…read moreMarseille until that morning. But lucky moment #1, Laurent was flexible and accommodating and came to pick us up at the other port in an hour. He informed us it was a holiday in France and most places were closed. He would try his best to get us into a winery that was open until noon, but it was going to take a little luck to get us there in time. Lucky moment #2: they were open when we arrived. We tasted two old vine Rhône blends and a 92-point rose. All delicious. The kind owner stayed open an extra 25 minutes for us, lucky moment #3. Then because we wouldn't be able to make it to any other wineries, we had to pivot. We bought 3 bottles of wine and a salami that the owner sliced for us and put into a paper bag. Next stop, the bakery was open! Lucky #4! We purchased two baguettes. Then off to the charming town of Le Castellet, with its narrow cobblestone streets and centuries old buildings. Lucky moment #5: we got a great parking spot and set off to explore. What to do on a national holiday when shops and restaurants are closed? Head to the National Park and have a picnic! But not just anywhere, Laurent's secret spot at the top of the mountain. I can't say where it is because we were sworn to secrecy. Just as we arrived, another car pulled in. Would they beat us to a seat at the best view in France? Nope. Lucky moment #6, they went the other way and the secret spot was all ours. A fresh French bread and salami sandwich washed done with a great Mourvèdre while gazing down at that amazing blue of the Mediterranean. This is the essence of travel--connecting with a stranger who takes you through his country as though you are a friend and you become exactly that. You talk about life and politics and food and wine and culture. We wanted to have 7 lucky experiences because after all 7 is the luckiest number, but our #7 became our #1. Because the luckiest thing that happened to us was that we had our friend Laurent sharing his world with us for one unforgettable day.

From the owner: organiser des excursion insolite en Provence à la journéeread more

One of the most beautiful places on Earth. The sun shines differently in Provence than anywhere…read moreelse. No, really. Do visit and see for yourself. The three Roses they make are exceptional, and the flagship red blend is everything you have ever wanted from Provence (that isn't rose of course).

From the owner: Château vignelaure "le vignoble de la source sacrée" est un des joyaux de l'appellation coteaux…read mored'aix en provence. Situé à plus de 400 mètres d'altitude, entouré de collines verdoyantes, ce vignoble de 60 ha a acquis une réputation internationnale. Les vieilles vignes de cabernet sauvignon, plantées dans les années 60 à partir de greffons du château la lagune - troisième grand cru classé du haut-médoc - font partie des plus anciennes de provence. Depuis 2007, Bengt Sundstrøm et Mette Rode Sundstrøm sont les propriétaires de Château Vignelaure. Ils ont entamé la reconversion de Château Vignelaure en culture biologique et la production est actuellement en "lutte raisonnée". Grands amateurs d'Art, ils possèdent un site de ventes aux enchères de meubles de design, d'antiquité, d'œuvres d'art. Attaché à faire de Vignelaure un refuge pour artistes, ils accueillent écrivains, chanteurs et musiciens en quête d'inspiration.

Wines from this Bardol appellation vineyard are done in the classic French (Old World) style. High…read morein acid, high in tannins, high in minerality, high in alcohol and low on fruit forward. Great care is taken by the winemaker to create wines that are designed to last over 25 years. Too bad it will take about 20 years in the bottle for them to get to a drinkable stage. The wines clearly reflected the calcareous soil on which the vines grow. There is little rainfall and the vines are not trellised. This leads to year to year variation and losses which are then reflected in good and bad years for the local wines. The yield per acre is a fraction of what is seen in California. The aging process is performed in puncheons of Austrian oak that is very tight grain. It is done for two years. The bottles are not released before 18 months on the shelf at the winery. Vintages from 4+ years past are the first that the consumer can buy. We tried the reds, rose and whites. None of them met the palates of the group we were with.