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!
October 5th-12th 2018
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/ Friday October 5th-- 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). But don’t worry, we will be coming back to Nimes later in the week to explore its amazing covered market and sights. From Nimes we will drive to our private mas There we will meet our chef 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 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/ Saturday October 6th-- Sommieres Market/ Pic Saint Loup/ Olive oil
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 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.
After the market 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 will visit a local organic olive oil producer, and time permitting, stop for a tasting of one of the other local specialities: honey!
At dinner this evening chef will certainly incorporate our spoils from the olive oil producer, as well as our other acquisitions from the morning market visit!
Day 3/ Sunday October 7th-- L’isle-sur- la Sorgue/ Les Jardins de la Quai/ La Luberon/ Les Baux de Provence
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 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 birds eye view of it by heading up 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.
After our adventure it’s back to the mas for a bit of well-deserved relaxation – and even a dip in the heated pool - before dinner.
Day 4/ Monday Monday October 8st-- Camargue/ Aigue Mortes/ Bull Fight/ Pastis-Bar Tabac /Arles/ Dinner in Uzes.
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 dine out this evening at a wonderful restaurant in Uzes. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves to much here!
We will begin Monday morning en route to the sea. Here we will discover the land of the French cowboy, known locally as les guardians. Their domaine is the massive delta of the Rhone river, known as 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. We will then be off to a 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. At Aigues we stop for lunch at a great spot known for its seafood, and will order a platter or two of local seafood specialties.
After lunch we head to the tiny village of Le Cailar to take in a Course Camarguaise. This is the traditional bullfight of the south of France – but unike the Corrida, or Spanish version that also is popular across the Midi - in the Course Camarguaise the bulls are never hurt. They stand center ring as their foes - called razateurs - sprint in from the sides of the ring and try to steal ribbons from their horns before being chased off. In the end, the bull is always the victor and the hero!
After the course we head off to the famous town of Arles. Here we will take in the impressive roman arena, take a stroll along the Rhone and relax in Van Gogh’s old stomping grounds at a bar tabac for a pastis or glass of wine. After Arles, its back to Uzez for dinner.
Day 5/ Tuesday October 9th --Vaison-la-Romain/ Foraging/ 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. After lunch we are planning on meeting up with a local forager and taking a walk through the alpine foothills in search of mushrooms and herbs to add to the evening meal.
The day will end with a brief stop at a winery called Clos de Caveau in the village of Vacqueyras. (This may be Adrienne’s favorite AOC in the Southern Rhone.) After stocking up on Cotes du Rhone and AOC Vacqueyras we will head back to the mas to relax and enjoy aperitifs before dinner.
Day 6/ Wednesday October 10th --Uzes Market/ Domaine de la Charite/ 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 shopping, lunch will be in the village and then we will set off to the famous Pont du Gard itself. 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.
After our visit we travel onto the winery of Christophe Coste, Domaine Charité. Christophe crafts excellent wines from the Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages appellations and is always a very gracious host. After our visit we return home for aperitifs and our nightly menu discussion with chef Matt before a little relaxation before dinner.
Day 7/ Thursday October 11th – Nimes/ Les Halles/ Aubai Mema/ Farewell dinner
After breakfast we are off to Nimes to take in the some of the most famous historical landmarks in all of France, including the most well preserved Roman arene outside of Rome and the little roman jewelbox of a temple called the Maison Carré. Our market visit will be unique today as well. Instead of a weekly outdoors market we will be shopping at Les Halles, the covered daily market place. For those of you who are familiar with the French covered market you know that you can find every kind of delicacy here. There are fishmongers, expert butchers, local cheesemakers and loads of seasonal produce brought in daily by local farmers. What we love about these markets is that the best ones always have little market stand restaurants that serve lunch. We happen to have visited the one at the Nimes market enough that the owners are willing to reserve a spot there for our group for lunch – even though normally it’s first come first served!
Afterwards, we head to the tiny village Aubais to meet one of our good friends, Mark Haynes, at his winery, Aubai Mema. We will do a tasting of 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!
Those who are feeling even more adventurous can take a stroll from the winery though our home away from home village Aubais. From here it’s a short ride back to the mas, where we will wind down and get ready for our farewell feast!
Day 8/ Friday October 12th-- Depart
After breakfast we will run you each back to the train station in Nimes. We will try to get everyone there as close to their train times as possible, but we appreciate your understanding if we need to drop you off a bit early in order to coordinate the drop-off schedules.