In 2013, the 4th sub-appellation of Côtes de Provence, Côtes de Provence Pierrefeu, was announced for red and rosé wines, adding to La Londe, Ste Victoire and Fréjus. Launching a new appellation is no easy process. This took some ten years, which is not atypical. …Continue reading here for details on …

Tibouren is regarded by many in Provence as the traditional variety for making rosé, unique to the area. Tibouren is a pale-skinned grape, suited to making rosé, as it allows for the fuller fruity character to be developed without extracting lots of colour. An early ripening variety, it seems to …

Mid-April saw the round of tastings introducing the new 2015 Provence wine vintage came to a close with that for Côteaux Varois en Provence. Held in a beautiful location, it is the prettiest and most enjoyable of all the tastings. …Continue reading here for details on this springtime wine tasting at Abbaye …

I was intrigued when I first saw the publicity for a rosé wine bearing an image of the iconic chaise bleu of the Promenade des Anglais on Nice’s Côte d’Azur waterfront. The launch of this new label Prose was at the lovely Plage Beau Rivage, by the Promenade des Anglais in …

Contributor blog post by Liz Gabay: Elizabeth Gabay Master of Wine attended Vinisud 2016 in February – a three day exhibition in Montpellier focusing on wines of the Mediterranean. She selected her top-10 white wines from the event, including several from Provence… This is a vast fair, making it impossible to taste …

Contributor blog post by Liz Gabay: At the recent Wine Mosaic conference, one of the facts that shocked participants most of all was the fact that the majority of wine is made with only a small percentage of the grape varieties available to us. 70% of French wine production comes …

In a month’s time, I shall be visiting vineyards in the Negev desert and the archaeological remains of the ancient Nabatean kingdom. Splendid remains of buildings and extensive evidence of large scale agriculture and winemaking indicate the richness of this area in ancient times. The 1st century BCE historian Strabo …

Contributor blog post by Elizabeth Gabay: Vin cuit and the 13 desserts are a traditional combination served at Christmas in Provence. Today, however, the 13 desserts are often only symbolically represented – with baskets filled with a selection of dried and glacé fruits and nuts, available in most food shops around …

Contributor blog post by Liz Gabay: Wine writers and wine buyers so often only see a region briefly when visiting a specific vineyard, two or three vineyards in a region, sometimes a local restaurant. Invariably we see small snapshots of an area, out of context of its history, people and …

Contributor blog post by Liz Gabay: The restaurant Bruno, familiarly known as Chez Bruno, is a Michelin starred restaurant, specialising in truffles, in the centre of Var department, just outside the old market town of Lorgues. I first went to Bruno’s  …Continue reading here Via:: Elizabeth Gabay