The last stop before Barcelona on our anniversary cruise from Istanbul was the port of Toulon in the Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur region of southern France. Our friends had done some research on the wines of Provence so we fortunately got to tag along for a decadent day of wine and food tasting with some sightseeing thrown in.
We visited a couple of wineries including one that made Bandol red wine. Bandol is one of the oldest vineyards in France. 2,500 years old! The first vine was planted by the Romans. Their red wine is primarily made from the Mourvedre grape.The winery was a beautiful stucco building with some of those blue shutters I love.
We then headed over to one of Domaines Ott's wineries also in the Bandol region called Chateau Romassan at the foot of the hill top village of Le Castellet. The country house on the property dates to the 18th century. Don't you love the texture of the stone and that blue?!
The grounds of this old chateau were so rich with the patina and memories of time.
Chateau Romassan's chapel
Caveau (wine cave)
Bandol countryside
Le Castellet
Tomorrow my post will take you to Le Castellet and the charming seaside town of Bandol where we dined on moules frites and sipped foo foo drinks.