South of France Wine Areas

To put things into perspective, France is roughly the same size as Texas in terms of land mass. This is the reason that the TGV is so popular. The drive from Avignon to Beaune would be more like 5-6 hours. Beaune to central Paris is about 3-4 hours depending on traffic. Bi!!

Actually, it is not that long.

Put it this way, to get an idea of France's transport system, driving from Paris to Marseille takes 8-9 hours, the train takes exactly 3 hours.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

"Mike Tommasi" skrev i meddelandet news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Errr ... is that you doing the driving, or ... ? ;)

Cheers

Nils Gustaf

Just very little villages - hamlets, so to say.

No.

Rather piloting, I suppose.

M.

Mike, I see that you are a resident in the South of France...if you were advising a visitor that loves food and wine...plus some local art...what would you advice are the must sees if I am going to come in on train to somewhere such as Perpignon, Avignon or even Aix en Provence and then rent car for about 8 days and leave from Nice.

I really have no experience with South of France wines other than a few CD-Papes.

Thanks for any suggestions....

Sorry about the delay,

hard to chose, here are a few suggestions, randomly picked among many other possible scenarios...

Starting at Perpignan, call Marc Parce and have him show you around Domaine de la Rectorie (Banyuls, Cote Vermeille reds) and Preceptorie de Centernach (Maury, super whites and reds). Go visit the Clos des Fees of Herve Bizeul, top Roussillon stuff.

Head east, stop by Faugeres area and taste the incredible wines Domaine Leon Barral, great wine at reasonable prices.

Go up to the gorges of the Herault river and see Saint Guilhem du Desert, super medieval spot, not unknown but not crowded either. While there drop by Aniane nearby for a taste of Daumas Gassac whites.

In the Languedoc, go visit Domaine d'Aupilhac of Sylvain Fadat, another super wine at good prices. Head for the coast, to the small village of Marseillan, and eat super well at a good price at Chez Philippe (the wine list!). See nearby Sete while you are at it.

In the Costieres de Nimes area, go taste the wines at Chateau Mas Neuf, and see the town of Nimes, great contemporary art museum. Montpellier is worth a visit, nice atmosphere there too.

Head for Arles, great roman town, very enjoyable. Go eat in the small town of Maillane near St Remy de Provence, at l'Oustalet MAianen.

Avignon? If you must go to the petty crime capital of France, go fast, lock your care in a secure car park near the palace of the Popes, walk fast to the palace (wonderful), then leave. Forget about dancing on the bridge, not worth the risk. Other than the palace, stay away, the rest is not that nice anyhow. Dont talk to anyone. ;-)

Rather go by Villeneuve les Avignon and dine at Le Prieure, fancy, worth the expense.

Chateauneuf du Pape? Again, not a place where you want to leave your car for too long without an armed escort, go taste at the Maison des Producteurs just outside town, near La Nerthe, but check on the car every so often... ;-)

Rather go to Isle sur Sorgue, specially on a Sunday during the huge antiques market, and arrive EARLY. Go see the surreal Fontaine de Vaucluse, a wonder of nature. See the abbey of Senanque, magic. Go early, avoid the crowd. Go dine (and stay at?) The MAs des HErbes Blanches at Joucas near Gordes, say hi to chef Eric Sapet for me. Or go to Lourmarin and dine 2 stars at the Auberge la Feniere, husband Guy is a bit overpowering but her cooking is wonderful.

Head back to Aix en Provence, see the old town, nice, eat at L'Aix'quis in town or go fancy and eat at Relais Ste Victoire in nearby Beaurecueil. Give a call, I am half an hour away, and so is Bandol...

If you have time, head for a truly nice village north of Aix, Forcalquier, try to reserve at Le Lapin Tant Pis (opens on reservation only), see the remarkable medieval herb gardens at the nearby Prieure de Salagon. Taste the wonders of Banon cheese.

On the way east from Aix, stop at the Thoronet Abbey, and then go see the little village of Les Arcs, close to the highway.

From there head straight for the airport at Nice, the Cote d'Azur is a most obnoxious mix of loud nouveau riche euro-trash in their Porsches, the french blue-rinse crowd in their Peugeots and young louts from Nice in their Renault 5s. Food is always too expensive, wine is always overrated, and the coast has been totally ruined. Except for a superb drive along the coast from St Raphael to Mandelieu. Or way up in the hills.

HAve fun

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

Mike Tommasi wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

edited for brevity not for editorial purpose

Take in the Catalan feel of the city of Perpignan as well

Maison Curee a better preserved arena than Arles, Tour Magnum Roman Baths, and while in the area can he dare to miss Pont du Gard?

The Hotel d'Europe is worth a stay if it is in your budget-it was good enough for Napoleon, Elizabeth and Robert Browning and myself(2x). I rather liked Avignon the Garden des Rocher offers amazing views.

I found the tastings in the town itself to be of more interest. The stuff they poured at the Chateau (as such) or more properly tower was very pedestrian. Perhaps we are not refering to the same place.

Only if doing the trip in the spring, if you are there in late summer you have to take everyone's word for what it looks like in March. (although having a river run pretty much straight out of the rocks is pretty neat even in summer but when the fontaine is really a fontaine, well, Ooh la la!

Cezanne's atelier is a desination in Aix and every shop in Arles lays claim to Gaugin. Aix is a great market town and the home of the outdoor cafe. Does life get better? (well it was better before they played around with the traffic patterns to make sure that tourists couldn't find the center of it anymore.

Mike, that you so very much. Perhaps when I visit if you are available we can meet and you can be my guest to dinner.

Thanks again for your notes. If you have any other ideas please let me know.

Much thanks,

dick neidich