Wine tasting is a different experience in France. In many countries, including the U.S., wineries are open on week-ends and this is usually the most popular time to visit.  In the Southern Rhône valley, as in all of France, this is not the case since the week-end, especially Sunday, is sacred.  Since many wineries do not have their own tasting rooms, and those that do are usually closed on week-ends, Vinadea is the place to know about. Winemakers got together to open the shop so wine lovers would have place to taste on week-ends and holidays. But it is a wonderful place to go any day of the week.

Vinadea is absolutely the best of the multiple-winery tasting rooms in Châteauneuf. I live nearby and have been going here since 2005.  Vinadea is a sales co-op of about 85 wineries in Châteauneuf, with hundreds of bottles from the very best wineries. Among others you can find Château de Beaucastel, Château la Nerthe, Domaine de la Solitude, St Préfert, Vaudieu, Marcoux, Gardine, Sénéchaux,  Beaurenard, Janasse, Saint Dominique, Clos du Caillou,  and many, many more.

Every day there are about 6-10 bottles of the rare white as well as the red Châteauneuf available for tasting—free. In addition you can purchase bottles at winery prices, unlike at many places in town. I have made some fabulous discoveries here, including the very first vintage of Domaine St. Préfert—I fell in love with it. (Or as we say here, it was a coup de coeur. ) The staff is excellent, friendly and helpful; they are quite knowledgeable about the wines sold and some speak English. For wine lovers spending time in this tasting room is like being a kid in a candy store!  So much choice! The atmosphere is very convivial, bringing together wine overs from all over the world.  Occasionally a generous visitor will purchase a bottle of their favorite wine to share with the rest of the visitors.

This is truly a “not –to-be-missed” stop in Châteauneuf.   As always it is polite to purchase a bottle.

Vinadea can ship your wine purchases within France, and to the US, except to the states of  Mass, Pennsylvania, and Utah.  (Wineries will not ship to the US because of potential competition with their importers.)  Shipping is not possible to the UK or Belgium. Price of Châteauneuf du Pape wines start at about €16 per bottle, and go up from there. There are also some Côtes du Rhône wines for sale, but not for tasting.

They are open every day of the year except Christmas, but close at lunch, around 12:30 to 1:30 or 2:00, depending on the season.

The shop is located in the center of the village.  On foot from the Tourist Office,  turn right past the Café Mule de Pape and go down the street Maréchal Foch. The shop is located at the top of the double stairway on the left side of the  street. The stairway is right next to the horrible public WC.

8 rue Maréchal Foch, Châteauneuf-du-Pape  84230

Website

[email protected]

+33 (0) 4 90 83 70 69

Written by Sharon deRham

Cet article The Best Week-end Wine Tasting in Châteauneuf-du-Pape est apparu en premier sur Provence Emotional Escapes Blog.

The northern Provençal village of Cairanne  will have a lot to celebrate at their 7^th annual “Marché aux Vins”  the week-end of April 30 and May 1, 2016. The village winemakers, producers of complex rich, fruit-filled red wines (white and rosé wines make up only about 5% of the production) have just been told that the wines of Cairanne will get the coveted “CRU” denomination as of the 2016 harvest; this is the highest ranking Rhône wines can attain. The winemakers have worked for 8 years to attain this level.  It was heartbreaking for some local winemakers when the change was announced; CRU wines include only the best vineyards, and some vineyards were excluded from the new appellation, and became simple “Côtes du Rhône” wines, still delicious, but in a different category.

Cairanne wines

This new “CRU” certainly means that the celebrations will be more festive this year, as Cairanne wines bask in the limelight that was formerly only the prerogative of other local wines, e.g. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Rasteau. The week-end will include tastings done by winemakers; tasting workshops—often led by English speaking Cairanne winemaker Bruno Boisson; cooking classes; food stands; walks in the vineyard and carriage rides.

Meet the winemakers, taste the wines, attend a specialized workshop. You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to enjoy yourself; just come and savor the wines with everyone else.

Along with the featured Cairanne wines, you can taste the appellations of Rasteau, Sablet, Gigondas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tavel and more and for the outrageously low fee of €5. Over 40 wineries are participating. Superstar Cairanne wineries include Domaine Roche, Domaine Marcel Richaud,  Domaine Delubac, Domaine Alary, Regis and Bruno Boisson, and many others.

Saturday, April 30: 10 am to 7 pm

Sunday, May 1: 10 am to  6 pm

€5 entry fee includes a glass

Location: Salles Communales; parking nearby

Contact: Bruno Boisson  +33 (0)6 10 29 19 33 (speaks English) [email protected]  Website

Location: in the village, just off the roundabout of the D69 as you enter the village.

Recommended Cairanne bistros

Tourne au Verre, in the village, with a lovely terrace. Three courses for €18 at lunch, €26 dinner.  30 wines by the glass.

Côteaux et Fourchettes, Restaurant and wine shop. €19, €32 and €44 menus. Outside the village at the intersection of the D8 and D975 roads. Excellent food and wine, beautiful setting and talented young chef.  2015 Gault et Millau “Young Chef” Award.

Written by: Sharon deRham

Cet article Cairanne “CRU” Rhône Wines to be celebrated at the Marché aux Vins 2016 est apparu en premier sur Provence Emotional Escapes Blog.

Provence luxury villa rentals- Spring 2014

Emotional Escapes prides itself in constantly seeking new luxury rentals to introduce to our discerning clientele. We insist on regularly visiting the villas we promote to ensure they maintain their high standards and we keep our presentations up to date with new photography. To this effect, the Emotional Escapes Provence team has revisited some of their most popular villas and took the opportunity of this early Spring’s splendid weather to update their property descriptions.

Mas des Florettes

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This luxury villa rental sits just outside the perched village of Bonnieux and benefits from a high level of comfort, with air conditioning, a heated pool, spacious grounds and seven en-suite bedrooms.
Mas de Florettes was visited in late April and we were able to photograph the newly refurbished living areas and bedrooms of this exceptional property.

Beaumanière

[portfolio column=”1″ cat=”exclusive-holiday-rental” current=”exclusive-holiday-rental” ids=”2137″ title=”false” desc=”false” more=”false” moreButton=”false”]This luxurious rental property is just a ten minutes’ drive from the centre of the city of Aix-en-Provence. Beaumanière offers Air-conditioned bedrooms, tennis court, heated infinity pool, gym / fitness room, 10 hectares of manicured grounds.

The villa is located right next to a brand new 18-hole course. There are shops for all your needs just 5 minutes away and the delightful beaches of Cassis are at just half an hour’s drive. Aix TGV station is only 15 minutes away and can get you to Paris in under 3 hours, while Marseilles airport is just 15 minutes further.

Having refurbished the pool house and swimming pool, the owners of this luxury rental villa are delighted to offer a special summer rate of 14,995€/wk for all weeks from early July to the end of August, instead of the previously advertised rate of 18,360€.

Le Mas Volets Bleus

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Le Mas Volets Bleus is a short drive from Chateaurenard with its local commerce, and just a 15 minutes drive from the stunning St-Rémy-de-Provence with all that market town has to offer.

This traditional provençal holiday home has been part of the Just Provence portfolio since the launch of the site, in early of May 2014 Mas Volets Bleus benefited from a new visit from Tim, owner of Just Provence, resulting in a complete new set of photographs showcasing this peaceful family-friendly rental.

La Maison à Caromb

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La Maison à Caromb is an 18th-century village house situated  in the foothills of the Mont Ventoux. Everything has been prepared to ensure that its guests enjoy a short stay that will remain in the memory for many years to come. The owners live in the village and are always on hand should they be required. This traditional Provence rental is ideal for visitors seeking a truely authentic experience in the centre of an active village in the south of France.

Thanks to a photoshoot in late April, La Maison à Caromb’s description now benefits from updated interior photographs which better representes the variety of  spacious rooms the house has to offer.

Clos Paradou

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Clos Paradou is a traditional and very comfortable stone-built rental Mas  enclosed in its own  private grounds right in the centre of the charming village of Le Paradou  in the heart of Les Alpilles.  Setting this vacation rental just a few minutes walk to butchers, bakers, grocery store and restaurants.

Clos Paradou benefited from a new photo shoot in early May and you will surely agree that the new photos do justice to the luxurious interiors as well as the in beautifully manicured gardens.

Cet article Provence luxury villa rentals- Spring 2014 est apparu en premier sur Provence Emotional Escapes Blog.

Vaucluse Wines honoured by the Wine Spectator for 2012

The Wine Spectator a lifestyle magazine focussed on wine founded in 1976 and boasting over 240 000 wines ratings to date, has recently published their annual TOP 100 listing for 2012.

Source: The Wine Spectator

We are happy to learn that this list not only includes 4 wines from Vaucluse in Provence, one of Just Provence main destinations,  but that 2 Vaucluse wines make it into the top 5 of this year’s listing. Unsurprisingly these wines originate from Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, two well-known destinations for wine connoisseurs.

If you would like to learn more about wines in Provence or wine tasting  in general you can visit the Wine Spectator website which includes video presentations of the top 10 wines of 2012, we also recommend reading  this article on wine classifications in France.

Wine tours in Provence are one of the highlights of a stay in Just Provence exclusive holiday rentals and there are many locations within just minutes from these award-winning wine producers to choose from. Do not hesitate to ask us for advice on the best locations and rental properties for your wine experiencing or you can also read our post on choosing the perfect destination for your stay in Provence.

If you have already experienced wine tours in Vaucluse or the Côtes du Rhône region and would like to share your experience, we would like to hear from you. Please leave a comment or contact me at [email protected]

Dylan

Cet article Vaucluse Wines honoured by the Wine Spectator for 2012 est apparu en premier sur Provence Emotional Escapes Blog.