Wine tastings by 65 regional winemakers is planned on January 30th, 2011 at the Cloitre du Couvent de Saint-Maximin which is considered to be one of the most beautiful gothic Provençal buildings.

The 18th edition of Millesime Bio will be held in Montpellier from 24-26 January 2011. 560 vineyards from 12 countries will be present. The show is open exclusively to wine producers who use organic grapes. In accordance with current European legislation a vineyard only qualifies after 3 years of organic farming. 

The Domaine de Beaurenard (www.beaurenard.fr) which had been a family run estate for 8 generations is holding an open house this weekend. In addition to visiting the wine cellars and taking part in a wine tasting you can also sign up for a visit of the grounds with one of the Coulon Family members.

Just above Nice, in the village of Saint Jeannet, vines have been grown for centuries. It is believed the purpose of planting vines was initially to stop rockslides and mudslides. The Vignoble des Hautes Collines, the oldest vineyard in the Cote d’Azur, has lovely silvery olive trees and ancient Cyprus trees overlooking the valley below.

Although a fair distance from Provence I thought this wine making facility in Bordeaux was really interesting. A company by the name of Crushpad (crushpadwine.fr.) runs a wine making operation targeting individual wine enthusiasts who want to create their own cuvées from the region.

Vatmaker Marc Nomblot has been selling his concrete tanks for over 20 years but he only introduced the egg in 2001. These egg-shaped vats are now all the rage especially with biodynamic winemakers. For the uninitiated biodynamism involves bringing spiritual and holistic elements into the winemaking process.

If you have always wanted to own a vineyard in France but didn’t have enough time to look after the harvest or the blending www.mesvignes.com  has come up with a clever solution. Starting at 194 euros you can become the proud owner of some vines.

When you think of Provence chances are you can visualise men sitting on a shaded terrace sipping pastis. This quintessential French beverage (45°alcohol content) is made by macerating several plants including anis and liquorice. Varying quantities of water, which turn the drink a cloudy yellow, are added to complete the drink which is usually enjoyed as an aperitif.

With many French vineyards now opting for synthetic corks or alternative methods of wine closers (screw tops) I feared that real corks may disappear. There is a cork producing industry both in Provence and Corsica while Spain and Portugal retain leadership as the largest producers on the globe.