Vineyard region: Southern Rhone
Appellations:
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Gigondas
Vacqueyras
Cotes-du-Rhone Villages
Cotes du Mont Ventoux
Lodging: B&B in the vineyards near Avignon
The best wines produced in the vicinity of Avignon have their own AOC: Côtes du Rhône
Villages. The best of the 75 villages are authorized to put their name on the label:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, some 16 in all. A bit further east, vineyards
planted on the slopes of the stately Mont Ventoux enjoy their own AOC.
Over a dozen grape varieties are authorized, some well-known (like grenache and syrah),
others less so (like bourboulenc and cinsault). Some growers cheerfully toss white grapes
into their red wine for added freshness; others carefully keep things separate and blend
later.
Your base for this excursion is a sunny, lovingly restored 18th century Mas, originally a
fortified farm, alongside a stream called the Nesque. It’s just outside the village of Pernes-
les-Fontaines, named for its 40 splashing fountains.
Today, tended by wine growers, it’s a charming Bed & Breakfast, surrounded by flowered
gardens and shaded trellises, with comfortable bedrooms, beamed ceilings and oriental
carpets.
Chateauneuf to Mont Ventoux
Spicy reds from Chateauneuf-du-Pape to the Mont Ventoux
Itinerary
Day One
Arrival by car or train. (The high-speed TGV stops just outside Avignon, where car rentals are available.) We provide you with a detailed map to the Bed & Breakfast.
Meet your host, Isabelle de Maintenant, and settle in at the farmhouse.
Traditional table d’hôte dinner accompanied by wines grown on the property.
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Day Two
- Breakfast in the garden.
- Your guide, a local winemaker, will meet you after breakfast.
- Visit the market at Pernes-les-Fontaines or Saint Didier and enjoy a coffee before
starting your trip to Côtes du Ventoux vineyards.
- In Bédouin, a picturesque perched village, you’ll meet Sylvette and Jean-Paul at their winery.
- Farmhouse lunch will be prepared by Sylvette with ingredients from the farm. She
is such a well-known cook in the area that she has published her own book of recipes.
- Afternoon: view the Dentelles du Montmirail from the village of Saint Estève.
Then ascend the Mont Ventoux itself for a panoramic view of the Lubéron. On the way back down,
visit the 14th century church in Malaucène.
- Dinner on your own. Isabelle will give you some suggestions.
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Day Three
- Philippe and Huguette will be your hosts this morning in the village of Violès. Philippe and his son produce wines from vineyards in Gigondas and Vacqueyras, two of the most prestigious villages in the Côtes du Rhône.
- Huguette will prepare a lunch of Provencal specialties.
- A visit this afternoon to Séguret, one of the most beautiful villages in France.
- Dinner at a gastronomic restaurant.
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Day Four
- Final home-cooked breakfast at the farm.
- Departure
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Included in the program:
- Three nights double accommodation in a chambres d’hôtes (Bed & Breakast)
- Three breakfasts at the chambres d’hôtes
- Three dinners: one farmhouse dinner, one at a typical regional restaurant,
one at a gastronomic restaurant (all with appetizer, main course, regional wine, water, coffee)
- Two lunches
- An English-speaking host on days two and three
- Tasting & entrance fees for activities described in the itinerary
OPTIONS: This program is also available with a full-time, English-speaking driver-guide. Services
begin with pickup at the Avignon TGV station on the afternoon of Day One and end with return to
station on the morning of Day Four. Please inquire for prices.
We would be happy to assist you with a low-cost rental.
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Wine Holidays 
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