Château La Coste This vineyard is found just outside of Aix-en-Provence, near the town of Puy-Sainte-Réparade. It is not to be confused with the town of Lacoste (that will be another post). Paddy McKillen, a wealthy Irishman, purchased the old bastide and surrounding land in 2002. He is a man …

Blinded by the hues of lavender shutters. Gently numbed by a glass or two of chilled local rosé. It would be easy to overlook the hamlet of Mérindol during a visit to Provence. The Luberon region is brimming with villages laying claim to le plus beau village de France (the …

Launched in 1995, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) Les Baux de Provence was a bold step for a dozen winemakers. They joined forces in an attempt to carve out a unique identity in the ocean of mediocre (at the time) Provencal wine. These wineries had fallen under the umbrella of the …

Ginger and Nutmeg have an on-going debate. Actually, it is not a debate because there is little discussion. Nutmeg admits she is a Francophile, give her the choice between BBQ Alberta beef and steak au poivre the French sauce wins. She listens to Radio Canada when she is driving, her …

There was little chance of being lost at sea, our skipper (rental boat) had a difficult time finding a place to anchor between the mega-yachts and the zodiacs that were supplying hot pizza and cold drinks to the flotilla. Just 15 minutes by ferry from Cannes, the two Lérins islands, …

There is more to Avignon than the Palais des Papes and the Pont d’Avignon, just across the Rhone River is an old monastery called la Chartreuse in Villeneuve les Avignon. Read about La Chartreuse a beautiful restored structure that is now state owned and is the home of the Centre National …

Cook’n with Class is now offering five-day cooking courses at their gorgeous Uzès location. Class sizes are deliberately small with a total of six participants, to maximize the hands-on cooking experience. However, these culinary holidays are not just about long hours spent in the kitchen. You and your classmates will have …

Lorgues is located in the middle of vineyards and olive groves. It is in the center of the department of the Var between the Mediterranean Sea and the Gorges du Verdon. Source: Wikipedia Based on that description, it might be difficult to think of a more idyllic location for an …

The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne is Mary Lou Longworth’s fifth novel; number six will be published in September 2016. Her first book Death at the Château Bremont took years to write, but since 2011, she has been hard at work writing murder mysteries based in or near to Aix-en-Provence. Keep …

Barbara Schuerenberg says, “I always joke that I learned to cook out of self-defence as our mother was a terrible cook.”  Clearly, she was successful in that pursuit as she enters into her sixth year of running her cooking school Cuisine de Provence in Vaison la Romaine. German-born Barbara’s journey …