
Now that most of the grape harvest is over, except for late harvest-style dessert wines, the attention now moves to that other vine - the olive.
In Provence in particular many wine domaines will also grow olive vines (e.g. Mas Sainte Berthe at les Baux de Provence (13, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence)). So for a different take on a late autumn break you could always get the TGV down to Avignon and make your way out to a neat B&B near Beaumes-de-Venise (84 Vaucluse, Provence) where you can indulge in an olive-themed weekend - stroll around the olive groves, take part in the harvest, and enjoy the olive-dominated cuisine of yout hosts.
The Mas de l’Evajade is a farmhouse in the midst of the vineyards and the olive groves where you can enjoy the view over the Dentelles de Montmirail.. “Take part in gathering the olives with your host. Visit the olive mill and taste your hosts’ cuisine, based on olive oil of course.”
It is a delightful corner of Provence, close to Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. And of course, although the sweet white Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is well-known in the UK, Beaumes-de-Venise is an important Côtes du Rhône-Villages appellation making seriously good red, rosé and dry white wines. There is a good co-operative in the village.
Our favourite recommendation would be the Domaine la Fourmone in nearby Vacqueyras/
