Chateau la Coste a Go Casual for Lunch

Chateau la Coste beckoned!

It has been at least two years since my last visit to the vineyard owned by Paddy McKillen, an Irishman with a love for Provence, wine and contemporary art and architecture. I made up for my lack of attendance with two lunchtime visits this summer.

The first time was with a French girlfriend who works too hard and had never seen the winery despite sending countless clients to visit the grapes and artwork. We followed the self-guided Art & Architecture tour map to make sure we looked at every one of the art installations from the Spider to the Foxes, from the Chapel to the Calix and finally from Donegal to lunch.

It was a china-blue summer day; perfect for lunch at the “pool-side” café located in the contemporary Tadao Ando designed Art Centre. Our expensive salads were tasty, but not enough to justify the glacial service. We were only moderately hopeful to get our meals before the restaurant closed.

As we waited, we gawked at diners across the pond who were eating at bright metal tables, under the shade of large Plane trees. For some unknown reason, this second more casual bistro located near the wine boutique is not mentioned on the winery’s website.

My second visit was with another friend, a card-carrying annual member who is lucky enough to have Chateau la Coste “just down the road.” We decided without question to eat at the bistro, and it was a huge improvement. The service was quick with fresh meals made to order off the daily menu. We sat for a long time at those crayon-coloured tables enjoying the day.

If you want to learn more about Blending Wine and Art at Chateau la Coste in Provence click here.