Provence from Fayence: Provence Guide

Provence by the Rhone

Interesting way of discovering Provence - by boat. A boutique floating hotel will take you up and down and let you stop off along the way.

The Orient Express owns a "luxury barge" called the Napoleon which offers this plus fine dining. Here's a review:

"Back at the riverside, we climb back onboard our péniche-hôtel Napoléon, a floating boutique hotel that is home for the next few days as we cruise the Rhône from Arles to Lyon, the river's furthest navigable point. This luxury barge, which sleeps 12 and has a crew of six, is the perfect base from which to explore Provence and the Rhône valley as it combines cruising with shore excursions to the region's unmissable sights....with its comforts and charming staff, the Napoléon is a floating testament to fine living, relaxation and indulgence"

Provence vineyards and the expat dream

I am always troubled by articles about Provence that read like "the gentle stream of expats settling in Provence has, over the past decade, become a steady river." I imagine hordes of Brits descending and eating chips, sorry, frites.

But this interesting piece in the Telegraph is more about folk who've bought up vineyards in Provence and actually make quiet decent wine: "So, if you feel an incredible tug for Provence, a heart-achingly beautiful restored bastide, with eight hectares of vines and 1,200 olive trees, is for sale not very far away."

I had no idea that Chateau de Berne was owned by a man who started with a Fulham vegetable shop, and after 20 years of success in a variety of pharmaceutical-based businesses, from his then base in Monaco decided to buy his own vineyard. It's now owned by the man from Regus, who has extended the facilities and is now marketing Berne Viognier wine in square bottles (weird, huh?) . I have tasted the wine and it's good (to quote Hemingway).

Better get saving then...

Côtes de Provence

Interesting observations from Jim Budd about Provence rosé. One - that most Provence rosé growers are  "completely stupid" for not using screw caps - only 4 out of 80 used them. Jim's argument is that it's just a a darn sight easier. Two, that the same Provence rosé growers are being silly about getting upset over the mix up red and white to get rosé debate.

Still, Jim does prefer wines from the Loire region.

Rosé debate rumbles on

More grumblings regarding rosé production - this time from Anjou. "The debate threatens to re-ignite a much wider, and more explosive, argument on the nature of wine itself. Is wine a mysterious product of soil, soul, weather, grapes, sweat and tradition? Or is it an industrial product for mass-consumption like any other?"

The answer - label real rosé as "traditional": "when news of the decision began to circulate, pink grapes of wrath fermented in Provence and Anjou. "Real" rosé wines could be marketed under a new label: "traditional rosé". Blended or "fake", rose wines would have to be labelled "rosé coupé" or "rosé de coupage." But, claim producers, "it should not be for us to have to rename our wine. If the others want to label their bottles 'rosé made from jumbling up red and white', that's fine."

The debate threatens to re-ignite a much wider, and more explosive, argument on the nature of wine itself. Is wine a mysterious product of soil, soul, weather, grapes, sweat and tradition? Or is it an industrial product for mass-consumption like any other?

Provence rose makers apoplectic

There's an extraordinary proposal that the EU would allow any wine producer in Europe to blend white and red wine to produce rosé. "Pink plonk can be made by simply mixing red and white."Naturally, Provence rosé producers are up in arms.

The uproar has generated some fantastic rhetoric:

"The battle for rosé's nobility risks being lost with a wave of Europe's magic wand. When you go home tonight, try mixing white wine with a few drops of red wine. It comes out orange and doesn't taste good It's nothing like rosé."

"It's as if the ferryboat was sinking and there was only one lifeboat – rosé. The new rules will allow everyone to jump in the boat and the result will be that everyone will drown. All our efforts have borne fruit and have permitted French rosé to be the world market leader. Now they want to saw off the branch which we have nurtured and are sitting on."

Producers say it is sacrilegious to simply throw together different coloured wine rather than following the "nobler" tradition of macerating red grapes for a few hours and bleeding off the rose-tinted liquid.

Bandol stinks

Fascinating article from San Francisco about Brettanomyces, a fungus that imparts certain odours to certain wines, it appears. The wine cited by the author happens to be a Bandol: " vividly remember the first Château Pradeaux I tasted. This mourvèdre-based red from the region of Bandol in France's Provence had the distinct odour of a horse-filled barn. When I served the wine to a friend, he looked up, smiling, and pronounced his judgement: "This smells like s--t.""

Rose de Provence rows

Cotes de Provence appellation controlee is so upset that Rose de Provence is being used by PGA to describe its new wine that the case is now with the French fraud office.

"Provence’s largest AOC union, Côtes de Provence, has accused local firm PGA Domaines of “stealing” the region’s name for its new Rosé de Provence wine. Rules prevent wine brands in France from using any part of an existing AOC name."

Experts believe the rose row is part of a broader debate about the creation of one regional AOC to cover the whole of Provence.

A uniquely french debate.

Cotes de Provence Rose for summer drinking

Apparently Rose wine sales have overtaken sales of white in France. Initially, this would appear shocking until you remember that French people don't drink much white. The Wine Enthusiast picks out three Cotes de Provence for special attention:

• Château Les Valentines 2006
• Domaine Sorin 2006 Terra Amata
• Domaine Saint-André de Figuière 2006 Vieilles Vignes

Provence organic wine

Having sat through Mondovino, which rants against Robert Parker's undue influence over world wine rankings, I was interested to see Mr. Parker speak up for Provence's organic wine output in Business Week.

Personally, I am not certain I could tell the difference.

I do however recommend Mondovino as a fine expose of the commercial undergrowth in the wine trade.

Provence Rouge

Bring me a bottle of Red (wine, that is). In Winnipeg, Le Rouge is idolised for its life-extending qualities & I quote in full, it's sooooo good;

"The scientific community first noticed the potentially positive effects of red wine while trying to determine why French people lived so damn long. Researchers studying lifestyle risk factors soon realized that, according to their data, no one in France should be alive past the age of 12. The French, of course, do absolutely everything wrong in terms of lifestyle and yet live as long as or longer than the rest of us. Everything they eat is covered in thick creamy sauces, they serve wine with breakfast and most people in France start smoking before they are three.

Startled scientists soon noted that the pate-stuffed, wine-soaked chain smokers of Provence were outliving the fish-eating Vikings of Sweden and loving every minute of it. “Impossible” they squealed when confronted with the evidence, “how could this be?”"

Oregon State University came up with the research: a gene called SIRT1 can reduce the development of new fat cells and increase the metabolism of fat within existing cells. The activity level of this gene can be significantly enhanced when a compound commonly found in red wine is present. The compound, identified as resveratrol, is an anti-oxidant found in high concentrations in grape skins.

I am switching to Provence Rouge.