Château de Beaucastel is not only one of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s greatest wine estates, is also one of the world’s great estates. It belongs to the Famille Perrin portfolio of wines and is located on the northern end of the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

According to French wine rules, the appellation’s wineries are permitted to use 13 different varieties (cépages) of grapes in their blends but unlike most other local wineries, Beaucastel uses all 13 varieties, though the major grapes are still Grenache, Syrah, and mourvedre, counoise and   cinsault with small percentages of the other varieties. Their whites as well as their red wines are world famous. The estate is organic, and they are converting to bio-dynamic production.

In California the Château de Beaucastel formed a partnership with their importer, Vineyard Brands, to create Tablas Creek wines, a  pioneer in the production of Rhône varietals (i.e. Grenache, syrah, mourvedre) in central California.

In Provence the Famille Perrin has entered into a partnership with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to produce the Miraval Wines in the Var region.

Visiting a top-notch wine estate and tasting the wines is always a highlight of a wine lover’s trip to Provence or the Rhône Valley. For a winery visit, write to Kirsty at [email protected].

However you will get a more extensive tasting of not only Château de  Beaucastel but also a wide gamut of Perrin Family wines if you visit one of the brand new tastings rooms, where a knowledgeable, English speaking sommelier (François in Châteauneuf; Richard in Aix) will explain the wines.  Look for “Famille Perrin”. You will have a great time!

In Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Famille Perrin, Place du Portail, (next to the Tourist Office in the center of the village. ) +33 (0)4 90 02 15 54 

10 to 6 :30, Monday through Saturday.

In Aix-en-Provence: Famille Perrin, 1 Place Forbin (at the opposite end of the Cours Mirabeau from the very large ‘Fontaine de la Rotonde.’) 10:30 til 7:00 Tuesday-Saturday. +33 (0)4 42 27 45 20

Château de Beacastel

Chemin de Beaucastel, Courthezon, Provence

+33 (0)4 90 70 41 00

Website

Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala. 205 980-8802

Sharon Derham

Cet article Featured Wine 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.

Finding the perfect location for your luxury vacation rental in Provence.

People looking for accomodations on the Just Provence site search through our portfolio of exclusive rental properties and get attracted by the high quality photos, as they pick through the list for the perfect setting for their family’s vacation in Provence. After this process,  questions we are often asked are: where is this property located, how far is it from the nearest village, Avignon or a famous landmark and, will this vacation rental be a good base camp for excursions? In this article we’ll look at how you can determine if a location will fit your needs.

There are few straight roads in Provence.

One important factor to take into account when planning your visits in Provence is that Provence itself is delimited by the River Rhône and mountain ranges, the Alpilles, Mont Ventoux and Luberon to name the most prominent. This means that travelling around the region will enable you to discover wonderful natural sites but also a lot of winding roads and curves. The region around Avignon is very well served in dual carriageways and motorways. But quaint medieval Provençal villages, that the area is famous for, have kept their character by being off those main roads. These are the places you might want to visit.

This factor of time spent travelling between points of interest will weigh heavilly on your choice of holiday rental destination.

Your time is precious.

The average stay in Provence in peak season is 2 weeks. In those 14 days you will want to see it all and enjoy the  “Must See” places that you have pin-pointed while planning your stay. Places you could associate with a holiday in Provence could be daily colourful markets, visiting a village you have seen in “A Good Year” with Russell Crowe, the magnificent millenia old Pont du Gard or touring the Côtes du Rhône villages for that wine experience you have anticipated for years. You will have to consider if they fit in your tight schedule and if they require a day trip, an afternoon or just a quick visit as you cycle by.

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You can use the search function on the  Just Provence website to sort properties by location. This also allows you to enter detailed requirements as for example chosing between a country home or a vacation villa near a village.

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In order to help you pick the ideal location for your stay in Provence, I have made this very simple map (thank you Google!). It highlights 4 important cultural centres of Provence, Uzés, Avignon, Saint Rémy de Provence and Apt.  Avignon being the gravitation point since it benefits from a fast train station, two motorway exists and an airport.

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Chances are Avignon will be your point of arrival in Provence whether you come in from Paris, London or Marseille. As you can see, all four centres are within a 30 minute to an hour radius of each other. Which means, for example, that when you pick any location in the red circle you will be able to plan, at least, a day out in these areas with ample time for visiting, enjoying restaurants and then getting home safely with time to spare.

During your stay it is a good idea to book a private tour, so an English-speaking driver guides you around the places of interest you choose without the hassle of driving around with your eyes focussed on the GPS instead of enjoying your visit of Provence.

Picking the ideal location saves you time and money.

As I mentioned in a previous post on planning your stay in Provence in advance, it is essential to make a short list of things you would definitely want to see and do during your visit so as to plan a memorable emotional escape in the South of France. By giving the location careful thought when choosing an exclusive rental properties you will ensure your stay goes as smoothly as possible.

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Do you have a favourite destination in Provence? Have you already considered a list of things to do and visit on your next trip? We’d like to hear from you.

If you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to leave a message or contact me at: [email protected].

Cet article Finding the perfect location for your luxury vacation rental in Provence. est apparu en premier sur Provence Emotional Escapes Blog.

Provence Wine tasting tours : what to do with the children?

Peak season may be over,  but should you visit Provence after “Toussaint” (1st November) the vendanges* will be truly over but you will still be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery Provence has to offer while tasting excellent wine in Caves and Caveaux. But the question many families ask themselves is: what will we do with the children? An afternoon of wine tasting isn’t exactly what they’d describe as a fun day out. won’t they be bored to death while we enjoy the local produce?

Worry not our friends at Côtes du Rhône News have a list of activities for your little ones if you’ve  forgotten colouring books and toys at home…

Inter-Rhône has designed  an activity booklet for children  called “Jeux de Raisin” which can be found in cooperative and independent caves around Provence. the contain crosswords ( a fun way to improve your French), Sudokus, colouring pages, and even an easy cooking recipe (for your junior foodie)!

Another service developing is for example Vignerons de Caractère in Vacqueyras ‘ initiative of installing a closed and secured “play space” for children with small tables and chairs, colouring pencils, balloons and even blow up structures.

In the summer, activities for children are more varied with some domains going as far as organising pony rides like for example: domaine  domaine Mourgues du Grès or the domaine Lucena…

Tranlated with their permission from an article on Côtes-Du-Rhône News.

Dylan

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Harvesting of wine grapes in French*

Cet article Provence Wine tasting tours : what to do with the children? est apparu en premier sur Provence Emotional Escapes Blog.