These shale soils are perfect for growing Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault grapes for rosé and reds, which Pierrefeu vineyards mostly export – about 470,000 litres per year (124,000 US gallons). South of France vineyards – and the varieties of Provence wine they produce – are as loved as the local lavender and Mediterranean coastline. It’s recorded as among the oldest wine regions in France and is undoubtedly among the most popular. So it may come as a surprise that the vines themselves were actually an import – in the form of a gift from the Phocaeans. This Provence wine region produces around 80% rosé with 15% red wines, all of which use GSM and Cinsault as a base, and at altitude, they grow in cooler conditions. This means they ripen more slowly which makes the flavour more complex and the wines more acidic. Tibouren is allowed to be added to both the reds and rosés, which adds spice. This inhospitable climate, which allegedly inspired Dante’s Inferno, makes it perfect for producing all its red wines, from a mixture of GSM with some Cabernet Sauvignon grapes – which makes the red wine not too dissimilar from that found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 20 miles (30km) to the north. Nestled next to the Luberon, Pierrevert is the most northerly AOC in Provence, with grapes which mirror those found in the Rhône Valley to the north. Obtaining its AOC in 1998, the region is made up of 11 parishes in the foothills of the Alps, at some of the highest altitudes for any French vineyard, some reaching 1,000 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level; the altitude increases the wine’s acidity.

The 5% of white wines produced here are different from the typical wine of Provence in that they are made predominantly of Rolle, Semillon and Ugni Blanc grapes, which gives them less acidity. Provence white wine must be at least 50% Rolle. The next 30% must be any combination of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Ugni Blanc. Bourboulenc and Semillon grapes must make up the remainder. Cassis, on the Mediterranean coast, was the first AOC in Provence, created in 1936. The village sits at the edge of the limestone national park called “ Les Calanques”, a series of inlets carved out of the cliffs by the sea over centuries past.

It has quartz soil, which means it retains heat and produces grapes with lower acidity. La Londe is predominantly rosé, using Cinsault and Grenache grapes with Syrah, Tibouren, Mourvèdre and Rolle added in. The Sainte-Victoire mountain is an 11 miles long (18km) limestone ridge on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, which produces 80% rosé wine and 20% red, from its limestone soils. Celebrated French painter, Paul Cezanne, born and raised in Aix-en-Provence so loved the Sainte-Victoire mountain that he painted it over 180 times.

Much of Provence’s landscape is covered in limestone soil, which is perfect for growing vines. In the west, this limestone came from an ancient shallow sea, which once covered the land. Further east, the soil is made of granite and in one area, it is volcanic. These differences affect when harvesting occurs, with a time lag of as much as 60 days between the coast and the cooler, inland areas. Planted by the Romans in 100 BC, there are now over 25 different types of grape, with 16 allowed in the whites and 15 in the reds. Mourvèdre is the main red grape, whilst the whites (which are about 40% of what the region produces) must contain 55% of Clairette grape. Rosé wine makes up of about one-third of Bandol vineyard’s output. Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo in 1844 famously enjoyed a glass of Bandol rosé, “bien frais” but if Cassis is known for its white wine, its coastal neighbour, Bandol, is very definitely red. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ The wine from the north is influenced by the climate from the Alps whilst the wine produced in the southern part of the Rhône, is influenced by the Mediterranean – the warmer summers and milder winters produce wines which are richer and have higher alcohol content.

Anonymous review

In all of the south of France vineyards, Pierrevert is the only wine region in Provence allowed to use it. All of the wine from this Provence wine region is consumed by locals and visitors and very little is exported. Red wines make up 15% of total wine in this AOC, and only 5% is white – normally made using the Rolle grape (or Vermentino, to give it its Italian name). Taste: The spice notes from the Syrah provides a dry, white pepper characteristic across the entire palate. A touch of Rolle gives great acidity and brightness that lends notes of winter citrus, spice with a warming finish.