
Need to Know Côtes du Rhône Essential French Wines
France’s Rhône Valley is significant on the world stage. At roughly three times the size of the Napa Valley, the diversity of this region is staggering. It’s divided into two segments: septendrial (North) and méridionale (South). The north is more linear: many independent winegrowers, mainly granite soil, dominated by single …
France’s Rhône Valley is significant on the world stage. At roughly three times the size of the Napa Valley, the diversity of this region is staggering. It’s divided into two segments: septendrial (North) and méridionale (South). The north is more linear: many independent winegrowers, mainly granite soil, dominated by single …

Exploring Rhone Valley Wines from North to South
What’s the difference between France’s Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône Valleys? The difference is latitude. There. My work is done. Of course, I’m just kidding, but let’s start there. The Rhône River runs in a relatively straight, north-south path by the time it wedges into France from Switzerland near Lyon. …
What’s the difference between France’s Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône Valleys? The difference is latitude. There. My work is done. Of course, I’m just kidding, but let’s start there. The Rhône River runs in a relatively straight, north-south path by the time it wedges into France from Switzerland near Lyon. …

Bellet Vineyards So Close to Nice, France
By Jill Barth: As France’s oldest wine region, Provence is infinitely important to the global history of viticulture. The region was settled by the Phocaeans around 600 BC, and it’s believed that the Greeks were responsible for the dawn of winemaking and grape growing in ancient Provence. These early wines …
By Jill Barth: As France’s oldest wine region, Provence is infinitely important to the global history of viticulture. The region was settled by the Phocaeans around 600 BC, and it’s believed that the Greeks were responsible for the dawn of winemaking and grape growing in ancient Provence. These early wines …

Learn About Biodynamic Wine in the Southern Rhône
Biodynamic Wine I take notes like a squirrel on the bird feeder—fast and full, getting it all down before someone changes the subject. You’ll know me by my notebooks. More often than not, however, the stuff that really sticks with me doesn’t require a scribble. My memory serves in certain …
Biodynamic Wine I take notes like a squirrel on the bird feeder—fast and full, getting it all down before someone changes the subject. You’ll know me by my notebooks. More often than not, however, the stuff that really sticks with me doesn’t require a scribble. My memory serves in certain …

Road Trip to Taste the Lirac Wines
France’s Rhône River runs north to south, beginning in the Swiss Alps and eventually finding its way to the Mediterranean Sea. Populating its banks are world-renowned vineyards, divided into Northern and Southern designations, the latter of which includes the Lirac Cru. In a valley where wines are classified by region – not …
France’s Rhône River runs north to south, beginning in the Swiss Alps and eventually finding its way to the Mediterranean Sea. Populating its banks are world-renowned vineyards, divided into Northern and Southern designations, the latter of which includes the Lirac Cru. In a valley where wines are classified by region – not …

Exploring Why Rosé Matters, According To French Culture
I don’t think there is a topic I’ve covered more than rosé. Part preference, part probability, it seems only natural that a Provence wine specialist would document the past, present and future of vin trois, the third colour of the wine trinity. Affiliations range from the “Hampton’s Water” lifestyle crowd to …
I don’t think there is a topic I’ve covered more than rosé. Part preference, part probability, it seems only natural that a Provence wine specialist would document the past, present and future of vin trois, the third colour of the wine trinity. Affiliations range from the “Hampton’s Water” lifestyle crowd to …

The Provence Rosé Research Center Helps the Global Wine Industry
Provençal rosé—and rosé in general—has been riding a popularity wave in recent years. While there are instances of trendy lifestyle marketing involved, many rosés are wines of quality, made by winemakers of skill and terroir of distinction. Behind them lies a secret weapon, hidden in an unassuming coral-coloured building with green shutters: The Center for Rosé …
Provençal rosé—and rosé in general—has been riding a popularity wave in recent years. While there are instances of trendy lifestyle marketing involved, many rosés are wines of quality, made by winemakers of skill and terroir of distinction. Behind them lies a secret weapon, hidden in an unassuming coral-coloured building with green shutters: The Center for Rosé …

Sample the Wines from the Alpilles Landscape that Inspired Vincent Van Gogh
Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: Driving the D99 into Saint-Rémy-de-Provence may be one of life’s most charming travel pleasures. The roadway is lined with iconic, cicada-filled Plane trees and in the distractingly near distance are the limestone-rich Alpilles, a preserved and biodiverse mountain range where civilization has persisted for 4,000 years. …
Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: Driving the D99 into Saint-Rémy-de-Provence may be one of life’s most charming travel pleasures. The roadway is lined with iconic, cicada-filled Plane trees and in the distractingly near distance are the limestone-rich Alpilles, a preserved and biodiverse mountain range where civilization has persisted for 4,000 years. …

Understanding How a Wine Cork Gets from a Tree to Your Bottle
Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: The cork wine stopper is synonymous with preservation – not only of the wine in the bottle but of a way of life for cork farmers and the natural ecosystem of the forest. The process has been the same for generations because the system is a sustainable …
Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: The cork wine stopper is synonymous with preservation – not only of the wine in the bottle but of a way of life for cork farmers and the natural ecosystem of the forest. The process has been the same for generations because the system is a sustainable …

Pioneering Winemaker Chapoutier puts Braille on their Wine Label
Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: In early 2016, M. Chapoutier purchased Château des Ferrages, located in Provence between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin near the commune of Pourcieux. Ferrages produces Côtes-de-Provence AOP and Côtes-de-Provence Saint-Victoire AOP wines, including a portfolio of red, white, and rosé wines. …Continue reading here to learn about …
Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: In early 2016, M. Chapoutier purchased Château des Ferrages, located in Provence between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin near the commune of Pourcieux. Ferrages produces Côtes-de-Provence AOP and Côtes-de-Provence Saint-Victoire AOP wines, including a portfolio of red, white, and rosé wines. …Continue reading here to learn about …