Does navigating a wine list or timing when to open the bottles in your cellar feel like rolling dice? If so, then it’s time to close that “wine gap” in Provence. Chêne Bleu, a stunning boutique winery in the Rhône Valley, is the backdrop for Extreme Wine, rated by Food …

Spring Events in Provence Spring in Provence is lovely. As is the case with most of the year, the sun shines brightly, but expect the odd rainstorm. Moisture in this period is critical for the grapes, olives, and almonds to start their growing cycles. In March and April, expect to …

Producing only Rhône-style white and rosé wines, Acquiesce Winery is a maverick in Lodi, California. The appellation is known for its concentration of Zinfandel red wines. The San Francisco Chronicle included the Acquiesce Winery tasting room among its list of 52 vineyards to visit in 2020. When We Retire The …

Gigondas Village We are blessed to have a house in Sablet, France and live as locals several times a year. We love our location at the base of the Dentelles de Montmirail, surrounded by vineyards as far as you can see. There is plenty to do in the area, starting with …

A Move South Christopher Curtis and Laurent Nurisso closed their design boutiques, put their possessions in storage, packed-up the car and the dog, and drove from London to Provence. Their friends in England thought they were crazy. Relocating to Marseille in 2013, Christopher and Laurent felt that the gritty port …

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 …

PANDAS Awareness It took more than a village to bring the À Table! concept together – Susan and Towny Manfull needed a vineyard. In August 2018, Alexandra Manfull passed away, shortly after self-diagnosing her condition as an auto-immune disease that she had coped with for several years. The couple’s grief …

Sometimes you need a bit of inspiration for cooking; in this case, it happened to be a friend’s trip to Scandinavia. This easy recipe for poached Arctic Char embellishes a classic french beurre blanc sauce. What could be better than butter, white wine with an exotic twist of pear and …

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. …

Popes and Red Wine Villages in Provence’s Rhone Valley In my view, there is no better place to begin this wine village itinerary than historic Avignon. The city was once the seat of the Catholic Church and home of several Popes during the Middle Ages. I have chosen seven of …