As most of you living in and around Aix will know, the region has long been associated with Mary Magdalene, the companion of Jesus who, according to legend, was driven out of Palestine during early Christian persecutions. She was expelled together with other saints in a boat without sails which …

Writing a book about rosé taught Elizabeth Gabay MW that pink is defined by more than Provence. In case you haven’t noticed, the world is in the midst of a rosé revolution. The young and flirty alternative to red and white wine, the pink drink is the toast of summer …

Mimosa and Sea Urchins Despite it being February, the coast of France, which borders the Mediterranean, becomes bright yellow during this time of year. Synonymous with the Mediterranean, I’ll never forget when I was in Italy during International Women’s Day. It’s the custom there to hand out Mimosa to every …

Previously published on Ginger and Nutmeg: The Château is certainly iconic in Vauvenargues a small village of barely 1000 people. Pablo Picasso loved the place for the isolation that it provided for his work. After his death, Jacqueline proposed that the castle become a museum, the village never approved the …

I have to hand it to the Musée Regards de Provence seems to keep finding interesting local artists to introduce to us all. This time, André Maire (1898-1984) was an inveterate traveller. He was very curious about people, civilizations and religions, and painted his impressions as he went. …Continue reading …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: Back in the Summer we spent some time exploring the pretty village of Simiane-La-Rotonde, a few miles away from us in the neighbouring Department of Alpes de Haute Provence. Whilst we were there we noticed the names of five (5) English Airmen had been added …

Arts de la Table, Bastide We are blessed here in Provence to have the best ingredients when it comes to producing scents (and eating!). Grasse is the perfume capital of the world; not surprising considering the endless fields of lavender, roses, fruit blossom and wild scented herbs that create the …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Surviving Provence is a humorous account of the people (and animals) who share author Barbara Farber’s daily life in the South of France. It is a far cry, she explains, from an ode to lavender and sunflowers. She writes: “Although my husband and I were both …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: On Sunday, January 21, 2:30 at the Renaissance Hotel, there will be a broadcast of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Follies’. The production had terrific reviews when it showed at London’s National Theatre. Here is a short video trailer of the show: “Setting the Stage”: It’s New York, 1971. There’s a …

So excited! After a year of rosé discovery, my book Rosé: Understanding the pink wine revolution, part of the Classic Wine Library, is out and will be available from 15 January. Back in October 2016, when first discussing the idea of writing a book on rosé, I thought I understood …