Provence

Location

The boundaries of Provence are difficult to describe but run approximately from Marseille in the west along the coast to Nice in the east and extend inland almost as far as Avignon and Orange.

Although vines already existed in Provence when the Greeks arrived in 600BC, it was first the Greeks, followed by the Romans who introduced systematic growing and pruning techniques.

A holiday heaven with 3,000 hours of sunshine a year and very little rain, the epitomy of a Mediterannean climate. Provence is also lashed by violent storms in spring and autumn, often causing difficult and variable harvests.

Soil

The region has an incredible variety of soil types and this is reflected in the very many grape varities in cultivation. The areas of production under the control of the AOC system tend to be on sheltered sites away from climatic extremes.