Provence: An Underrated Wine Region

 

One of the highlights in our Kosher Riverboat Cruise through France’s waterways is our kosher winery tour and wine tastings.

The Oldest Wine Region in France

When you think of French wine regions, the first that might come to mind may be Bordeaux or Burgundy. But the land of Provence — which we will be exploring in our Rhone river cruise — holds something beyond these popular wine regions.

Provence has been producing wine for more than two thousand years, ever since the city of Marseilles was founded in 600 BC. That makes it the oldest winemaking region in the country.

Influenced By Diversity

Various cultures who have been in Provence such as the Greeks, Romans, Gauls, and Catalans have influenced the region’s winemaking process. Due to the diverse settlement that occurred in the course of its history, a wide variety of grapes has been cultivated – ranging from Greek to Spanish and Italian. Nevertheless, the French grapes still remain to be the prominent ones.

Wine has always played a large part in the everyday lives of Jews – in religious and socio-cultural aspects alike; French Jews are definitely no exception to that. Because of this, the Jewish communities in Provence learned to produce their own wines.

What Wines Are Made in Provence?

Provence’s classic Mediterranean climate — warm summers with plenty of sunlight and mild winters — has made it a great place for growing grapes (and for river cruising!).

Some of the varieties grown here include:

White Wines:

• Rolle
• Ugni Blanc
• Bourboulenc
• Clairette
• Marsanne
• Roussanne
• Grenache Blanc
• Pascal
• Terret Blanc
• Spagnol
• Pignerol

Red Wines:

• Mourvedre
• Grenache Noir
• Syrah
• Carignan
• Cinsault
• Counoise
• Tannat
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Tibouren
• Braquet
• Calitour
• Folle Noir
• Barbaroux

While you can find many types of red and white wines being produced in Provence – the region is more reputable for producing rosé wines. The Mourvedre variety is the most common grape for rosé production in this area..

Here’s Your Chance To Try Provence’s Wines

So, would you like to try out Provence’s great wines during our trips along the Rhone River? You’re in luck! During our Jewish heritage tour to Arles, one of our stops will be a kosher winery, where we will be given a private tour, and wine tasting hosted for us.

There are only a handful of cabins left on our next riverboat to the Rhone, and our journey is about to start very soon. You better check if the one you want is still available!