Markets of the Midi!
A gastronomic tour for those who dream about experiencing the wonderful cuisine and culinary traditions of the South of France like a local!
This region in France is not only inspiringly beautiful but is rich in Roman history set in a decidedly French tradition.
From the wonderful Provençal cuisine influenced by rich produce and the Mediterranean Sea, to the vines and olive trees that cover the landscape surrounded by the wildly aromatic scrub oak and garrigue forests. This is an experience for the senses!
Day 1/ -- Arrival. Welcome dinner
Welcome to Provence! Specifically, the wonderful ancient Roman town of Nimes. Your stop here today will likely be brief as we will pick you up as you arrive at the Gare (train station). From Nimes we will drive to our private mas in the beautiful village of La Capelle-et-Masmolene, about forty-five minutes away (fifteen minutes from Uzez). There we will meet our chef, Matt Janke, at a fun informal reception with wine, cheese and Provençal specialties. You will then have plenty of time to settle into your rooms before we get together for chef Matt’s welcome dinner that evening.
Each evening of the tour prior to dinner, Matt will walk us through his preparations and be happy to answer any questions or explain any techniques used for the recipes. And most certainly - for those who want to jump right in- there are bound to be a few tasks which will require an apron!
Day 2/ - Sommieres Market/ Pic Saint Loup /Chateau de Valflaunes
It’s Saturday morning and there is no better time to set off to our first market. Our favorite Saturday market is a beautiful forty-five minute drive away in the town of Sommieres, one of our favorite towns in all of the south of France. Sommieres is steeped in both Roman and medieval history - yet is just off the beaten path, keeping it much more for locals than tourist. The marché here has everything you could imagine from this region in France which is famed for its culinary products. Chef Matt will let us know what is on the menu this evening based on our shopping experience at the market.
After shopping lunch will be an informal affair as the Sommieres market has some of the best street food of all the markets we will visit. Plan on posting up at a table near the oyster shucking stand and eating a variety of market goods washed down with a carafe or two of vin de pays. After the market we can head to the pétanque terrain for a pastis at the bar and a quick lesson in this southern French pastime. We may not get on the pitch here as this is for serious players only, but we can review the rules, look for technique and then take our game back to the mas’s own terrain to play later!
Leaving Sommieres it’s off to one of the most famous wine regions in the Languedoc, Pic St Loup. This is beautiful wine country. It is also an area right in the heart of the garrigue (the unique flora comprised of olive trees, pines, scrub oak, and every sort of aromatic herb you can imagine). Here we work with an amazing young winemaker named Fabien Reboul. His domaine – Chateau de Valflaunes has incredible views of the nearby Pic, and we are confident that his wines will speak for themselves!
After our visit we return home for aperitifs and our nightly menu discussion with chef Matt before a little relaxation before dinner.
Day 3/ -- L’isle-sur- la Sorgue/ Les Jardins de la quai/ La Luberon/ Les Fontaines de Vaucluse
After breakfast Sunday morning we head off in the opposite direction of Sommieres, driving east into quintessential Provence – specifically an area known as the Luberon. Our destination is a not to be missed market town called L’isle-sur-la Sorgue. L’isle-sur-la-Sorgue means ‘island on the Sorgue’, which is exactly what this village is. The town sits on an island in the Sorgue river as it flows from its alpine source towards the Rhone. The town was established here because of the easy access to steady flowing water all around and is famous for its ancient waterwheels dotting the charming village at various points on the river. Today however, L’isle-sur-la Sorgue is most famous for its Sunday broquant (antique) market. In addition to the hundreds of antique stalls there is also a very nice food market where we can shop with chef Matt for our evening menu. Lunch will be in a lovely restaurant called Les Jardins de la Quai which we happily discovered on our first visit her over ten years ago.
After lunch we will be reminded that here we are on the cusp of the Luberon! This is arguably one of the most beautiful regions of France, and we will get a great sense of it by heading up to a tiny village that is the source of the Sorgue river, called Les Fontaines de Vaulcluse.
After our adventure it’s back to the mas for a bit of well-deserved relaxation – and even perhaps a dip in the heated pool - before dinner
Day 4/– Camargue/ Mediterranean Seafood /Aigues Mortes/French Pizza!
Because we all hate Mondays, we have saved one of our favorite and most adventurous days for this Monday! There are no markets to speak of today, so we will take advantage of this to give chef a night off and experience the wonderful thing that is French Pizza night!
We will begin Monday morning en route through the land of the French cowboy, known locally as les guardians. Their domaine is the massive delta of the Rhone river, called the Camargue. It is a vast, flat marchland populated with wild white horses, small aggressive black bulls and pink flamingos. Our first stop will be a nature trail where we can have a look at these animals and get a sense of the uniqueness of this area.
Lunch today will be wonderful seafood place owned by a friend of one of our winemakers. There we will get a legendary seafood tower and have the chance to eat as many of the famous Bouzigue oysters as possible! After lunch our destination is a wonderful walled village called Aigue-Mortes (dead waters) that was once an important medieval fortification on the shore of the Mediterranean but now lies several kilometers inland due to the ever-shifting coast line of the delta.
Appetites stirred this evening we experience one of our favorite French dinners: Pizza! It is ubiquitous in France – but really a unique product, and something not to be missed. We know a great joint in a small village not far from the Mas where we will finish up our evening.
Day 5/ --Vaison-la-Romain Market / Seguret / Clos de Caveau
This morning we are headed to Vaison-la-Romain. This is an ancient Roman city located to the north-east of the mas in the Vaucluse department. Vaison is a fantastic city with wonderful charm and amazing historical sites. For years we have come here to explore ancient ruins, bask in a café or two, or just to wander. Vaison is unique in that it has very well preserved ancient Roman as well as medieval sections – both of which intermingle with the modern town. The Tuesday market is not to be missed and is by far the largest in the area. It sprawls through town up and down side streets and across the central squares.
After shopping with chef for dinner, we will head off to the south for lunch at one of our new favorite spots in a nearby village called Seguret. This village is always named one of the most beautiful in France.
After lunch - and perhaps a quick nap in the van - we travel to one of the most beautiful vineyards in the Rhone valley, owned and operated by Henri Bugener. The vineyard and winery is called Clos de Caveau. Henri will take us on a beautiful walking tour of the vines and then later we will taste through the wines in his newly modernized tasting room.
After visiting the Clos we will make the drive back to the mas to relax and enjoy aperitifs before dinner.
Day 6/ --Uzes Market/ Picnique/ Pont du Gard
This morning we take a short trek to the lovely town of Uzes where we will visit the renown organic farmers market here at the origin of the source of the Pont du Gard! Both the Saturday and Wednesday markets at Uzez are not to be missed, but the smaller Wednesday one is the real deal. It is not as touristy as the Saturday market and is visited by locals each week to stock up on organic, local and seasonal provisions.
After the market we will be treated to one of our favorite lunched on our trip – a traditional countryside picnique. We will put out an amazing spread at the pool house at the mas. You will have plenty of time to relax and enjoy lunch today!
After lunch we will travel 20 minutes back near Uzez and arrive at one of the most important tourists sights in all of Europe – the Pont du Gard. This Unesco world heritage site may require no introduction, but if you haven’t heard of it you are about to be amazed. It is a massive bridge carrying a Roman aquaduct on its way over the Gard river en route from the water’s source in Uzez to its destination in Nimes. For those of you feeling like a little exercise there are a number of hiking trails in and around the pont that offer stunning views of this landmark.
Dinner this evening will be an extra special event with a local chef, Juliet, from Uzes, joining chef Matt to prepare our dinner. We a very happy to have her, and will have a chance before dinner to speak with her about the courses they are planning on preparing for us.
Day 7/– Christophe Coste/ Provencal Lunch/ Les Baux de Provence/ Arles
We will begin Thursday with a fantastic visit to one of our friend’s wineries. Christophe Coste, the owner and winemaker of Domaine de la Charité and Domaine de Javone will meet us for a quick tour of his beautiful Cotes du Rhone Villages vines followed by a tasting at his winery. After the visit we will be off into the heart of Provence for a very traditional lunch at one of my favorite Provencal restaurants.
From lunch we head to one of the most visited sites in all of France, Les Baux de Provence. This medieval fortification sitting in ruins high on a rocky precipice and its adjacent village is so picturesque we couldn’t possibly be in the area without taking the afternoon stop and explore. We have allowed plenty of time here as there is both the medieval fortification as well as the adjacent hillside village full of shops and restaurants.
On the return journey from Les Baux we will stop in the historic city of Arles located on the banks of the Rhone river. In Arles we will visit the famous arenes (Roman Colliseum) and finish the day with a Pastis on the famous square that inspired Van Gogh’s Night Café.
Day 8/ -- Castillon-du-Gard/ Remoulin Market/Aubais/Aubai Mema/ Farewell dinner
We will begin our last day with a visit to the medieval hilltop village of Castillon du Gard. From there it is a very short ride to the market town of Remoulin where we will experience a very ‘locals only’ experience.
After the market we head west into the Languedoc we will head back to another hilltop village that is very much near and dear to our hearts - Aubais. Here we will meet winemaker - and our good friend - Mark Haynes for lunch. After lunch, weather permitting - we will take a stroll through the countryside below the village to Mark’s winery – Domaine Aubai Mema. At the winery we will take a tour of Mark’s handiwork - he has converted a giant old cooperative into his winemaking facility. There will taste through Mark’s organic/biodynamic wines and take advantage of his petanque terrain to really get a feel for the game. It’s a good bet that we will have rosé wine and perhaps pastis on hand to loosen us up for the competition!
From here it’s a short ride back to the mas, where we will wind down and get ready for our farewell dinner!
Day 9/ -- Depart
After breakfast we will run you each back to the train station in Nimes. Depending on the timing we can possibly spend some time in Nimes as a group and visit les arenes and the famous Maison Carre, or meander through the shopping district up to Les Halles – the covered marketplace. We will then get you back to the gare on time to catch your train. Et voila! Bon Voyage!