Provence walking through the Lubéron vineyards
Provence is a famous wine making region. Come the month of September, the rows and rows of vineyards are a hive of activity during the harvest where the fruits of a year’s labour are picked and scrutinized in order to ensure the top-quality wine to accompany your meals!
There are three well known wines that originate from this part France; the Chateauneuf du Pape wines, the Côtes du Rhône wines and the Lubéron wines. The latter are unique due to the very small selection of grapes used for production, the fresh and fruity flavours and the favourable climate boasting over 2 600 hours of sunshine per year.
A quality control AOC label
The AOC Luberon was first created in a 1988 to differentiate the Lubéron wines from the famous Cotes du Rhone wines as the soil, landscape, weather and irrigation were very different. Many of the Lubéron vineyards are located on hills between 250 metres and 600 metres high with hot temperatures during the day and mild to cold nights. The AOC is a way to protect the unique wine production in this area and acts as a quality certificate for consumers as it guarantees the origin and quantity of production.
It is a small appellation that includes only 36 villages in the Luberon Regional park/UNESCO biosphere reserve in Vaucluse. The vines cover a surface of 2712 hectares. There are approximately 480 wine producers and around 50 wines cellars for you to discover on a Provence walking holiday or a Provence cycling holiday.
What type of wines are produced in the AOC Luberon?
The wines must follow a complex and strict recipe including selected types of grape to produce red, rosé and white wines. For the red wines, the blends are made up of a 60% minimum Syrah or Grenache grapes, and up to 20% maximum Cinsault and Carignan grapes. The reds are ample and supple, balanced with fruity aromas. For the rosé wines it is the same blend, but with up to 20% of white grapes added to the recipe. The Lubéron rosé is fresh with subtle spicy notes. As for the white wines, a selection of Ugnic Blanc, Grenache and Vermentino grapes mixed with Marsanne and Roussoanes (the last two limited to 20% each) produce fresh and aromatic dry white wines, renowned for their fine bouquets
Enjoy a Provence walking tour or a Provence cycling trip and immerse yourself in French wine culture.
