Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: The Southern French port city of Marseille has been the entry point for the world since the Greeks settled there around 600 BC. The second largest city in France is home to people of scoping nationalities and this diversity makes Marseille the world’s kitchen. …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: Last fall during a visit to Gigondas, I had lunch with Thierry Faravel, proprietor and winemaker at Domaine le Bouïssière. Thierry and his brother Gilles are second generation vignerons, tending vines planted by their father Antonin, who grew grapes for the co-op for 41 …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: My kids and I always giggle when the song demands, “Now bring us some figgy pudding.” The bossy tone is disruptive in the peaceful setting of the holiday and the fact that feathers are ruffled over figgy pudding is something we find hysterical. If …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: I’ve had the great pleasure of enjoying the wines of Château Romanin during my visits to Provence. I still remember drinking my first bottle during a rainy spring evening in little cafè called Le Marilyn in St. Rèmy de Provence…though I don’t recall the …

Today, we welcome a rendezvous with Bernard Duseigneur, winemaker at Domaine Duseigneur. The 30 hectare estate spans Châteauneuf du Pape, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Laudun and Lirac. 17 weeks ago, I clicked on an Instagram photo of three bottles of wine from Châteauneuf du Pape. “Wonderful,” I commented. I’d love to try.” …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: L’occasion Passport: what it means to me to move around the world to taste wine and meet winemakers. Contagious: The Travel Bug One of my early wine tasting trips was to a little town in Northwestern Illinois called Galena. Galena is one of those …

The charms of authentic Provençal wine from top-quality, small-scale producers, most with sustainable practices in the vineyards…this is the VinAzur way of providing a taste of Provence. The Story of the Suitcase Wine We aren’t born knowing everything. I admit, there are times I’ve been naive, …Continue reading here for details …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: A kindly giant who watches over the aromatic garrigue scrubland and the carefully tended vineyards, Mont Ventoux shelters wines conducive to sharing and close companionship – celebrated with a fragrant, flavourful centrepiece. ~ CHRISTOPHE TASSAN Sommelier and Rhone Ambassador THE TOUR DE FRANCE 2016 …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: BEFORE A TRIP, PEOPLE OFTEN ASK, ” ARE YOU TRAVELING FOR BUSINESS OR PLEASURE?”. IF YOUR BUSINESS IS PLEASURE, YOU GO TO MONACO. My recent trip to Monaco was a Monte Carlo stop on a short road trip from the Alpilles region in Provence …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: Atout France, the French tourism development organization, has rolled out a gorgeous new website that promises to be a place where “wine regions reveal their secrets”. The site is reasonably named Visit French Wine. The website allows visitors to slip into each wine area …