Last year, I celebrated International Grenache Day (September 15) by sharing a delicious cake created by Sue Tipton, owner and vintner of Acquiesce Winery, for which she doctors a box cake mix to make her Acquiesce Grenache Blanc Cake. Well, you know me — I love cooking too much to …

The following text, in English and French, is a short introduction to discovering Provence’s almond trees and a few recipes. In the Provencal countryside, it is common to see almond trees growing in the wild. Several regional producers cultivate almonds for local consumption and use in local confectioneries like the …

2023 Holiday Shopping Gift Guide As December approaches, the countdown is on for holiday shopping. In our 2023 Holiday Shopping Gift Guide and Our Provencal Marketplace, we have collected some of our favourite creators from Provence and beyond. These made-in-France products are for the home (table, kitchen and décor), fashion, …

Qunice, or coing in French, is a lemon-yellow coloured fruit that looks like a lumpy pear. Although it is a genetic relative to apples and pears, the only way to eat quince is to cook it.  One popular preparation is membrillo (pate de coing), a dense, sweet, sliceable paste often …

Last year, we enjoyed a mild autumn in Provence, which is not always the case in the South of France. The pleasant temperatures meant we could get out cycling and for long walks. It also allowed us to visit some of our favourite brocantes and the semi-annual Antiques, Art, and …

Fall in Provence can be strange and wonderful. We seemed to skip right from summer to autumn in a day, then thankfully recovered a little bit since the beginning of October. On the other hand, I always get rather down when the temperatures dip and the days become shorter; this …

Festivals and Fall Events in Provence As the temperatures drop in Provence during the autumn, restaurant menus move towards heartier dishes. Enjoy meat (lamb, wild boar, taureaux, rabbit, fowl) slow-roasted with herbes de Provence and seasonal root vegetables. These recipes pair well with well-balanced red wine blends from the Rhône …

When we first arrived in Provence, it was early October. That year delivered a relatively mild start to the month, and I honestly wasn’t focused on the flowers that came later. Cycling under sunny skies in the Camargue, we passed by rice fields that were being harvested and visited the …

Until recently, I had never poached anything solely in butter. When Provence WineZine friends Susan and Towny gave me some vanilla salt, I wanted to use it as a finishing salt for halibut poached in butter. I googled “butter poached halibut” and was alarmed to find that fully submerging four …

What’s On in the South of France? During the summer in Provence and the Côte d’Azur, daytime temperatures range from warm to hot. So, you don’t need an excuse to laze by the pool. The lavender is in bloom this time of year, and the sunflowers put on a spectacular …