Provence: Day 6

Table Vigneronne at Domaine de Marotte Vineyard

If you are wondering what happened to Day 5, it was spent mostly at poolside. It was a perfect, quiet day in the Provence sunshine, and I spent most of it breezing through Tina Fey’s “Bossypants.” Everything I just wrote is highly recommended.

Much of Day 6 was spent at the Domaine De Marotte vineyard, just outside of Carpentras. It is owned and run by a Dutch couple, Daan and Elvire Vandykman (I think spell check is about to explode) who moved here in 1998 with a dream of making great wine with love and care.

The vineyard is a former monastery—indeed, the main walkway through the vineyard is still in the sign of a cross. This seems an appropriate history, given that Daan and Elvire are intensely devoted to their pure, labor intensive, natural approach to winemaking.

Valerie was impressed by the wines she had at the tasting—all of which are named after one of the Vandykman’s four children. For myself, Daan hooked me up with his own delicious and refreshing grape juice. A singularly impressive host, he was running the tasting for three different couples, seamlessly shifting between French, Dutch, and English in explaining the different grapes and answering the guests’ questions.

After this, it was time for our Table Vigneronne—a picnic basket prepared for us that featured breads, cheeses, a bottle of one of their best wines, salami, four tapenades, and fresh melon. We found an empty table in the vineyard, and thoroughly enjoyed a delicious, peaceful meal amidst the grapevines. A perfect final day in Provence.