Provence Dream Tours Your Personal Guide

Which rosé?

Are the whites any good?

Can you find decent red wines?

Does a wine list in Provence cause you to scratch your head?

Sharon de Rham is a multilingual tour guide and expat (read her story here) she is also a wine aficionado.

Sharon credits a colleague from her Cisco days with instigating her wine studies. It was 1994, when they attended a Burgundy wine tasting in San Francisco at the University of California (Berkeley). From that moment, Sharon was hooked on the world of wine — she tapped into every wine course available from Berkley, the Napa Valley College, and the Culinary Institute of America in St Helena. In France, Sharon has supplemented her wine base with classes from the Université du Vin at Suze-la-Rousse and Inter Rhône in Avignon.

After “practicing” for years with friends who were visiting Provence, Sharon led her first official tour group in 2010. Now, she works as an independent guide.

What is a Provence Dream Tour?

According to Sharon,

“A “typical” full-day wine tour includes visits to about five wineries with breaks for lunch and coffee. I usually include a historic visit as a break from tasting; we might visit the vestiges of the old castle in Chateauneuf-du-Pape or the 12th-century church originally built by Charlemagne in the 9th-century.”

Sharon customizes tours for each group. Visits may include the Northern Rhone, a visit to Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas. These bespoke tours are crafted from the responses to background questions on the groups’ wine interests.

Sharon can arrange for visits to well-known wineries (Domaine de la Janasse, Chateau Beaucastel, Chateau La Nerthe, Clos des Cailloux , and others). Perhaps you would prefer a short class at a winery or visits to lesser-known vineyards? Sharon can make it happen, and you are guaranteed to learn a thing or two about Provencal wines along the way.

You like wine, but feel there should be a bit of history in your Provence visit…Sharon also does historical tours in Vaison, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, St Remy de Provence, and Avignon. To get in touch with Sharon for your custom tour, you can reach her via email at sharon@provencedreamtours.com.

Image Credits: Sharon de Rham provided all images for this article.

Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).