The Carmargue

After arriving in Tavel late Saturday evening, we decided to go to Arles (that's one of the Roman Colisiums at the left) and catch a 4x4 tour of the Carmargue. The Carmargue is a marshy wetland that sits in the Rhône delta between the two main arms of the river on the shores of the Mediterranean. It is home to the famous Carmargue horses, Carmargue bulls, and Pink Flamingos. You'll see French cowboys, bull fights, and much more when you visit the Carmargue. We took a 4-hour tour that went from Arles to Les Sainte Marie de la Mer and back. It was a really great tour, and I highly recommend it to anyone that has not seen this part of France.

A side note here, in May, the Carmargue is host to a huge annual Pilgrimage of the Gypsies. Thousands of gypsies travel to Les Sainte Marie de la Mer. Here they praise the two Mary's — Saint Mary Jacob and Saint Mary Salome — and carry Sara, the patron saint of the Gypsies, remains to the sea. It's quite a sight to see.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Beyond…

On Monday morning, we were up early for our trip to my favorite wine region in France — the Côtes du Rhône. We left for Châteauneuf-du-Pape right after breakfast. We stopped first at the Maison Bouachon. They have been making wine in Châteauneuf-du-Pape for four generations. There wine is very well known and quite good. I bought three bottles to bring home.

We went into town to eat lunch, and had the Plat du Jour at a charming bistro on the town square. When in doubt in France, you can't go wrong with the Plat du Jour (plate of the day). We each had a glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with our lunch and spent a grand total of about $37, including the wine! I doubt you can get Châteauneuf-du-Pape by the glass in a restaurant in the US, and if you could it would be much more than $3.50 a glass.

Beaumes de Venise

After lunch, it was on to the little village where they produce the finest dessert wine I've ever tasted. I know some people will argue with me and say that a Sauternes is the finest desert wine, but I'll put a glass of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise up against any Sauternes any day.

You can get Beaumes de Venise in the states, but you can't get the really good stuff — they just don't export it. So, every time I go to this area, I have to make a stop at Domaines des Richards. They have the absolute best Muscat de Beaumes de Venise I've ever had. I'll be taking home three bottles of it that I'll hoard in my refrigerator and only open for special occassions. The most amazing find this trip is a dry Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. It has all the fruit tastes and aromas that make this wine so delightful, but practically none of the sweetness. It will go great with salades, poultry, and fish. I can hardly wait to get it home and serve it with a meal.

It's the "vendange" or harvest right now, and all the wine regions are bustling with activity. Here's a slideshow of our trip to the Camargue and our journey to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

I have many more pictures of our trip to Avignon and our stay in Burgundy, but they may have to wait until I get home. Until next time, may your wine glass never be empty…