The south of France is blessed with so many things – a rich history and beautiful landscapes, a wonderful climate, and green & fertile lands. This Garden of Eden produces a wealth of goodies, not least of which is the wine of Cote de Provence. Check out our list of vineyards in Nice here...
The area has produced wine for millennia (experts say for 2,300 years), thanks to the arrival of the Phoenicians and their vines. The appellation covers the region from the west of Marseilles to St Raphael in the east, through the area known as The Var. Whilst Cotes de Provence wines are mostly famous for their rose wines, rich, full-bodied reds are also produced, along with light and fresh white wines.
The region surrounding Nice is well suited to wine production, thanks to well drained soil and a favourable climate (hot but not humid, mainly thanks to the cool Mistral wind that blows down from the Alps mountain range). The variety of landscapes in Provence means that each terroir (the exact ground on which vine are grown – unique in their soil composition and geographical situation) is subtly different. Dozens of grape varieties can be grown in this part of the world which leads to the production of many distinctive wines.
