Vineyards Of Provence: Private Wine Excursion From Nice

The French Riviera sits at the eastern edge of Provence, which is actually one of the world's oldest wine regions. There is evidence of viticulture here going back over 2,600 years, yet it has never felt more exciting than it does today. The area is best known for rosé, but there's real diversity if you know where to look. This private, full-day excursion from Nice takes you off the coast and into the sun-drenched Var countryside, where visits to two different wine estates offer a delicious insight into what makes Provençal winemaking so compelling.

On your full-day driving excursion, you will:

• Spend the day exploring Provence, one of France’s oldest wine regions;
• Enjoy the undivided attention of your experienced local driver-guide;
• Start your adventure directly from your hotel in Nice with convenient pick-up and drop-off;
• Embark on a scenic route through the gorgeous Provençal landscapes;
• Learn more about Provence’s distinctive terroir and its long history of winemaking;
• Visit 2 different Châteaux with distinct architecture and approaches to viticulture; 
• Taste a carefully chosen selection of some of the finest wines each estate has to offer, from classic Provençal vintages to more experimental limited productions.
  

Your day of wine discovery begins when your driver-guide arrives to collect you from your Nice hotel and head west into the Provençal interior, the landscape shifting gradually from the glamorous coastline to something older and quieter: rolling hills covered in vines and olive groves, ochre-stone villages, and the dry, herb-scented air that is as much a part of a Provençal wine's character as the grapes themselves. Along the way, your guide will set the scene, explaining the geology, the climate and the long history of winemaking in a region that has been producing wine longer than almost anywhere in France.

The first Château you visit is one of the most striking in the Var, a substantial estate set at altitude on clay-limestone soils, facing the dramatic rocky outcrop of Roquebrune. The tasting here spans the full range of wines that the estate produces, and challenges the assumption that Provence is purely a rosé region. Lunch follows at a time and place of your choosing, with your guide on hand to suggest the best options in the area, whether a classic Provençal bistro terrace or something more tucked away (lunch is not included).

The second Château is a younger estate producing organic, hand-harvested AOP Côtes de Provence wines from Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, and Rolle. Perhaps its most intriguing touch is the use of amphora ageing for some of its cuvées, an ancient technique that strips away the influence of oak and allows the wine to express the character of the terroir with aromatic clarity. The tasting here has an intimacy and a sense of discovery that perfectly complements the grandeur of the morning.

By the time your driver-guide returns you to Nice as the evening light begins to soften over the coast, you will have covered a remarkable amount of ground, geographically, historically, and in terms of what Provençal wine can be at its best. A day in the vines has a way of changing how you see a region, and this one is no exception.