Starting with the 2023 vintage, Les Baux-de-Provence is France’s first 100% organic wine appellation. Situated east of the Rhône River between Avignon and Arles, the most striking feature of this vineyard and olive-grove-dotted landscape is Les Alpilles mountain range, where limestone peaks and arid valleys receive nearly 3,000 hours of sun per year.
While many fans of Provençal wine picture the blue waters of the Mediterranean and a chilled glass of dry rosé, over half of the wine produced in inland Les Baux-de-Provence is red, a category led by Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Those who haven’t tried these wines yet can hardly be faulted. There’s not a lot of it and even less is exported. It’s a small appellation comprised of 11 domaines situated around the communes of Saint-Rémyde-Provence, Mouriès, Saint-Étienne-duGrès, Fontvieille, Les Baux-de-Provence, Eygalières, Maussane-les-Alpilles and Le Paradou.
Wine has been made here for over 2,000 years, connecting vineyards to many layers of history. “Local wines have influenced everyone from the Knights of Templar to Nostradamus to modern artists,” says Keith Van Sickle, author of An Insider’s Guide to Provence. One of the most notable of these characters is the Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh. Here’s where visitors can immerse themselves in the artist’s influence on this winegrowing slice of western Provence.
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See Through the Eyes of Van Gogh
Van Gogh was hospitalized at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémyde-Provence, where he created some of his most famous masterpieces including Starry Night and Almond Blossoms. His year here was one of his most prolific phases, resulting in around 150 works. The clinic where he was hospitalized, with its Romanesque cloister, is now a cultural site where visitors can enter van Gogh’s bedroom, witness his experience and lay eyes on the views that inspired him. “Dozens of van Gogh’s artworks are displayed throughout Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, often in the places where he painted them,” says Van Sickle.
Walk the Streets of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Boulevard Mirabeau is the ring road in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, which van Gogh painted twice, an attractive spot for shopping, eating, drinking and sightseeing, including Saint Martin’s church, which is believed to be depicted in Starry Night, but with adaptations from his own artistic imagination. There are dozens of acclaimed restaurants (several recognized by Michelin) and plenty of choice accommodations. Plus, the wineries of the region are just a short drive away, such as Domaine Dalmeran on a property populated with Gallo-Roman remains and unique original art, bordered by the Roman road La Via Domitia. Just outside of St-Rémy-de-Provence is another ancient treasure that visitors can’t miss: Les Antique monuments. The Arc de Triomphe and the Mausoleum were formerly the entrance to the Roman village of Glanum, now an archeological site.
Immerse Yourself In Art and Sound at Les Carrières des Lumières
The medieval village of is perched in Alpilles stone, and at the foot of the town is the Carrières des Lumières. Fully accessible to people with reduced mobility, this immersive art show is in a giant cavern inside a mountain, repurposed from an abandoned quarry with 30-foot-high walls. Prepare to be awe-struck by the rising sounds and towering movement that animates the world’s most treasured masterpieces thanks to hundreds of hightech projectors. “The program has been in operation for decades and has spawned replicas around the world, but there’s nothing like seeing it inside that mountain,” says Van Sickle. Every year a new artist set is featured, and 2023 is the year of The Dutch Masters, from Vermeer to van Gogh with a playlist that includes Nina Simone, Sigur Rós, Radiohead and more.
Feel Drawn to the Light
Before van Gogh came to Saint-Rémyde-Provence, he rented a yellow house in nearby Arles, which is located along the Rhône River to the southwest of the winegrowing region. This was in 1888, and it’s said that he was on his way to Marseille but became so impressed with the harmony of the light in this area that he never progressed to the coast. He’d hoped to form an artists’ collective here, and for a time he painted in unison with Paul Gaugin, who also lived in the yellow house. But they parted ways and, soon after, van Gogh’s mental illness brought him to the hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in 1889. Visitors to Arles can enjoy the atmospheric town and rural scenes that inspired van Gogh and can also visit the Alyscamps Roman necropolis, which he and Gaugin painted side by side during the autumn months they spent together.
This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!
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Published: November 22, 2023
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