A visit to a traditional Provençal wine maker

It’s the small organic traditional wine makers which are so hard to find in the south of France. The big wine companies dominate the market and the media. However once in a while you meet someone who is both knowledgeable and generous and it was Peter Ware, (azurewinetours.com) who let us in on the extraordinary story of Georges & Mathias Rasse of Le Domaine des Hautes Collines.

The tiny vineyard is located at Saint Jeannet just north of the town of Vence. What is interesting here is they make the wines the traditional way and use no nitrates or filings so the wines are organic. All their wines are stored in 5 litre glass salmanazars and are left exposed to the Azur sun for three months. Then they are transferred to oak barrels and left to age for 12 months. Apparently this is how the Romans made their wines over 2000 years ago in this very spot and so it has stood the test of both time and palette! 

If you are lucky you will find their wines in some of the local restaurants and supermarkets but it’s much better to visit the vineyard where you will be very well received. They even have a camping site on the vineyard so you don’t have to drive if you drink too much!! We recommend you contact Peter and take one of his tours. He will pick you up from your home, take you on a interesting wine tour and get you back home safe without difficulty. His details are below (peter@azurwinetours.com) ( +33777963388).

Further details on the vineyard may be obtained from their website: http://vignoblestjeannet.fr/vins/vin-rouge-cuvee-pressoir-romain/