In October, the Provencal sun takes its time rising above the horizon, like an old dog mentally weighing the effort of its next move. In the Jabron Valley, at 600 meters, about 10 kilometres from Sisteron, autumn mornings can be particularly frosty with single-digit temperatures. However, the saffron harvest at …

Winemaking as a second career? Stephen and Jeany Cronk packed up their life in the United Kingdom and moved to Provence with a dream to make a new style of rosé under their brand Mirabeau Wine. Lisa and Johann Pepin moved from corporate careers in Chicago to run les Pastras an agricultural operation …

If you are in Provence and looking for something different to do—in between touring Roman ruins and visiting hilltop villages—I’ve got the answer: Kick off your shoes, climb into a huge oak barrel filled with grapes, and start stomping. That’s what Provence WineZine photographer Pamela O’Neill and I did earlier …

Our village, like many in southern France, has a semi-permanent population; one of the first questions asked on being introduced is whether or not we are here all year round. A fairly cosmopolitan atmosphere is enjoyed here, particularly throughout the summer months, evident at the annual 14th July celebrations opposite …

Italian by birth, Giuseppina Mabilia first visited Provence in 2004, and now she calls the Luberon village of Goult home. The years in between have allowed Giuseppina to establish herself as a private chef in the region, and more recently launch her cooking school Venise en Provence.  Although the geographic distance …

Thanks to a very generous friend, my family and I own an oak tree in Provence. Nestled in the thickly wooded hills of the Luberon between Lourmarin and Cadenet, is a large organic farm called Les Pastras (which means “the pastures,” in Langue d’Oc, the old Provençal language). For details …

According to Wikipedia, York, Pennsylvania is known as the White Rose City a place with so many well-preserved buildings that it is considered an “architectural museum.” Marjorie Williams has recently published her second book Markets of Provence we asked her how growing up in York gave her an appreciation for shopping …

Mathieu Schillinger hails from France’s Alsace region with its fabulous white wines. However, he tells me that it was only when he moved to England that he gained an appreciation for food and wine. An Epicurean paradox? In 2007, Mathieu and his wife returned to France to open a B&B …

Jessica and Elodie are celebrating an anniversary. These tourism graduates launched their travel agency Provence Authentic one year ago, in January 2015. Originally from Lyon, Jessica has lived in Provence for a decade, and Elodie is local. She was born in Carpentras, only 15kms away from their headquarters in Vacqueyras. …

Book review of Patricia Wells’ The Provence Cookbook: 175 Recipes and a Select Guide to the Markets, Shops, & Restaurants of France’s Sunny South, Harper Collins Publishers, First Edition, New York, 2004. When I was a college professor, I used to tell my students that early on in their lives …