Provence Wine Regions Guide

Geography and terroir

Without question, Provence is a remarkably diverse and expansive vineyard. The area under vine begins just east of Arles and ends in the commune of Seillans – over 230 km between them! A small region lies to the north of Nice, bordering St-Romans-de-Bellet. Here, vineyards thrive on the limestone flanks of the Montagne Ste-Victoire and stretch along the coastline.

Although situated mostly inland, these vines enjoy a very warm Mediterranean climate with minimal rainfall during the summer.

However, the most sought-after terroirs occupy higher altitudes and benefit from significant diurnal temperature variation. This considerable difference between day and night temperatures enables growers to craft fresh, modern-style whites that rival the best of neighboring Languedoc.

Cotes de Provence and Coteaux Varois

The appellations Cotes de Provence and Coteaux Varois cover the vast majority of central Provence. Both appellations produce impressive quantities of rosé, but reds are increasingly taking center stage, too.

Notably, producers craft some excellent, structured, and fruit-driven reds from blends of Rhone varieties, adding a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon for good measure. The whites, meanwhile, get better with every vintage: fragrant and very fruit-forward.

Coteaux d’Aix en Provence & Les Baux de Provence

Moving further west, the visitor encounters the appellations of Coteaux d’Aix en Provence and the spectacularly sited vineyards of Les Baux de Provence. Here, many of the region’s most avant-garde winemakers produce the next generation of Provence wines: intense, fruit-driven reds previously rare in the South of France.

Domaine de Trevallon is one of the area’s leading lights; their Cabernet and Syrah blend is one of the finest available. The use of new oak has become prolific, although some traditionalists still age their wines in large, used oak vats. Whatever the approach, an exciting array of different styles is emerging, and the advancements in quality continue apace.

Palette

East of this large appellation, we find the tiny area of Palette, with just over 40 hectares under vine for red and white wines. Two established producers dominate the viticulture scene, Chateau Cremade and Chateau Simone, an estate of real quality and distinction.

Growers are planting a wide variety of grape types, but they are increasingly focusing their replanting efforts on Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre. The hot, dry climate suits these varieties perfectly.

Bellet

In the foothills of the Alpes-Maritimes, just north of the city of Nice, is the tiny appellation of Bellet. However, its small size does not do its significance justice, as it offers some of Provence’s most exciting and unusual wines. The appellation with a mere 39 hectares under vine, quality, not quantity, is paramount here, with well-structured reds, nutty, floral whites, and delicious rosés taking precedence.

Vineyards planted at altitudes around 300m help moderate the otherwise hot climate, creating ideal conditions for ripening Chardonnay in what would otherwise be unsuitable terroir. Winemakers produce some excellent examples, often blending them with the little-known variety of Rolle.

Cassis & Bandol

The two coastal appellations of Cassis and Bandol between Marseille and Toulon are reliable red, white, and rosé sources. In Cassis, look out for the white wines – the best have a lovely finesse and are unique in France. While the whites and rosés from Bandol are good, it is the reds you should get excited about.

Provence is undoubtedly famous for Bandol, in addition to its rosé wines. Newcomers to Bandol are in for a treat as it is a wine of great fire and spice with a concentration and driving vigor like no other.

The appellation sits in the foothills just inland from the port of Bandol, situated in a spectacular, natural coastal amphitheater. The vineyards, many of them over 40 years old, stretch from the town of La Ciotat in the east to Sanary-sur-Mer in the west and enjoy a unique, warm, and dry maritime climate.

The terroir is surprisingly varied, and the resulting wine style differs enormously, depending on the soils and local conditions. Gravel and clay soils suit the Mourvedre variety perfectly, producing rich, spicy, and age-worthy wines.

Established Bandol leaders Domaine Tempier and Chateau Pibarnon are joining a new wave of small, high-quality growers. This is possibly the most exciting area to follow in Provence, although we must remember that these wines need time, often for up to a decade.

Winemaking and regional classifications

For a long time, Provence has produced large volumes of easy-drinking rosé to appease sun-seeking visitors. Yet a tangible cynicism was apparent in the 20th century: the assumption was that tourists were easy to please, so producers churned out vast quantities of over-strong and coarse rosé that lacked finesse.

Happily, many small properties are now vinifying smaller quantities of rosé wines with real flair and style, and the quality has never been higher. Today, winemakers carefully craft Provencal rosé, creating intriguing, aromatic, and sufficiently dry wines that perfectly complement the garlic-based dishes typical of the local cuisine.

Diversity in Provence’s Wine Production

However, while rosé remains Provence’s mainstay of wine production, exciting reds, and some very well-made whites have emerged in recent years. Winemakers craft them with skill and panache – they often handle whites protectively and ferment them in stainless steel, yielding a fresh and fruity expression of the terroir.

But experimentation with terracotta and other vessels grows yearly, while top Provencal reds smell of garrigue, pine, and ripe summer fruits.

Understanding Rosé Production Techniques

Nevertheless, some confusion exists regarding the production of rosé: does it require a specific type of grape? Generally, winemakers produce rosé from red grape varieties, using brief maceration to extract minimal color from the skins before fermenting the wine. We can think of rosé as a hybrid, borrowing vinification techniques commonly employed in red-and-white production.

Provencal rosés are generally blends, most commonly a concoction of Grenache, Cinsault, and Mourvedre. Historically, many wineries have used the cheap (but effective) saignée method: they ferment red grapes in the standard way before draining a percentage of the light-colored and tannin-rich wine from the tank.

Innovations and Prestige in Rosé Winemaking

Winemakers call this process ‘bleeding.’ They then subject the mixture of must and wine to a quick fermentation before filtering, chilling, and bottling it. It yields a deeply colored style of rosé with greater phenolic extraction. In the wrong hands, though, it can produce very clumsy wine.

For that reason, many leading brands favor the press wine method. Winemakers press the berries in a (normally) cylindrical device for a very limited period of skin contact, releasing a very pure and pale juice. They then chill this juice, run it off, and ferment it in stainless steel—or possibly concrete.

Next, they blend different rosé wines to produce the final product before filtering and bottling it. The most prestigious cuvées are often matured in barrique, adding structure, texture, and depth to the wine. Château d’Esclans’ Garrus is one of the most famous examples. It’s expensive but worth every penny.

The lowdown

In the 20th century, rosé was considered a fun and frivolous drink that could never be taken seriously. The world of fine wine, dominated by Bordeaux and Burgundy, would never countenance paying lavish sums for a category that was easy to produce and sell.

Yet there is no objective metric by which we can exclude rosé from this expanding club. The best examples are complex and structured wines—a far cry from the quaffable stereotype that persists in some quarters today.

Pink Prejudice

Fortunately, many wineries in Provence are challenging this ‘pink prejudice.’ Sacha Lichine started the ball rolling, unveiling the inaugural vintage of Garrus (2006) to critical acclaim in 2007.

However, this super-expensive (by traditional standards) cuvée blindsided some trade members – would consumers pay over $100 for a bottle of rosé? As it turns out, they would: Garrus is now one of Provence’s most loved and famous brands, with allocations to different markets selling out quickly upon release.

A Testament to Terroir and Technique

Moreover, Garrus is not simply a case of slick marketing done with panache. Like all fine wines, it owes its complexity to the terroir: old Grenache bush vines grown in the most favored sites in Provence, cultivated on mineral-rich calcareous soils.

The result is a rosé of unprecedented depth and elegance, redolent with the smells of Provencal garrigue, lavender, and red fruits. The time spent in new French oak adds welcome structure and texture to the wine, imbuing it with great length and weight. In every sense of the word, Garrus is a fine wine.

Celebrity Influence

Of course, Sacha Lichine is not the only mover and shaker in Provence wine circles.

When Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie partnered with Château Miraval, they initiated a revolution in the perception of rosé. Indeed, the inaugural vintage of Miraval Rosé sold out almost immediately, as celebrity merged with shrewd marketing to create an astonishingly powerful brand. But most importantly, the wine is excellent: it has soft red fruits and mango/passion fruit on the palate.

Ambition for Global Recognition

Meanwhile, Provencal white (and red) wines are winning countless awards as investment continues to flow into the region. Once upon a time, Provence was considered a ‘tourist vineyard,’ driven by commercial cynicism and a distinct lack of ambition.

Yet we have witnessed a dramatic change over the past decade, with many quality-conscious winemakers bringing a new focus to meticulous grape growing and expressing their terroirs’ potential. This generation aims to establish Provence as a major source of fine wine, deserving of serious recognition. We wish them bon chance.

Provence gastronomy

The best way to experience Provence’s rich food culture is to visit one of the many food markets. Nice and Marseille would be our two favorites, where stallholders sell fresh lavender, braided pink garlic, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, and wild mushrooms.

Meanwhile, coastal Provence offers a never-ending supply of mussels, oysters, langoustines and clams. But for many visitors, bouillabaisse is the region’s greatest gastronomic achievement. It is a fish soup consisting of an assortment of local seafood, but almost always mullet, snapper, and monkfish cooked in a tomato, saffron, and olive oil broth. The intensity of flavor has to be experienced to be believed.