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With around 150 million bottles produced every year and over 30,000 hectares of vineyards, the Var is the world's leading producer of rosé wine.
Wine tourism is at the heart of our business: the wines of our region are of the highest quality, thanks to the Mediterranean climate and the exceptional amount of sunshine we enjoy.
Rosés - which account for the bulk of Var production - are mostly fruity and floral, while whites offer roundness, and reds are excellent wines for laying down.
In the Var, you'll find 4 appellations d'origine contrôlée, covering numerous communes, some of which are home to our member houses.
Vineyards and discoveries
Created in 2009, the Vignobles & Découvertes label – valid for three years – is awarded on the recommendation of the Conseil Supérieur de l’oenotourisme.
Its aim is to encourage and promote wine tourism, offering accommodation, catering, cellar tours and tastings, museums and events to ensure that visitors enjoy high-quality, qualified services.
We are delighted that four of our member companies have been recognized by this prestigious label, and can advise you.
Our certified houses:
Le Mas de Cotignac (Cotignac); La Villa Thalassa (Le Lavandou); La Grande Lauzade (Luc-en-Provence); La Maison de Nathalie (Les Mayons)
AOC Côtes de Provence : With a surface area of 20,300 hectares, one of the consequences of this variety of terroir is that there is not just one, but several types of Côtes de Provence.
Each reveals its personality thanks to its geology and climate. Eight basins make up the appellation:
Bordure Maritime, Notre-Dame des Anges, Haut Pays, Bassin du Beausset, Mont Sainte-Victoire, Fréjus, La Londe and Pierrefeu.
The terroir is as beautiful in the vineyards as it is at root level, where the soil provides a complex and varied geology: limestone subsoil to the north and west, while to the south and west it is more crystalline, making both particularly suitable for wine production.
The entire western and northern zone of the Côtes de Provence is made up of alternating hills and limestone bars sculpted by erosion. Further east, the maritime side is felt, where the crystalline massifs of the Maures and Estérel outcrop, formed in part from rocks of volcanic origin.
Our houses next door:
La Grande Lauzane (Luc-en-Provence); La Maison de Nathalie (Les Mayons); Le Clos des Cambres (Les Arcs-sur-Argens); La Bastide Selva (La Garde-Freinet); La Maison Saint-Louis (Besse-sur-Issole); La Bastide de Notre-Dame (Entrecasteaux); Le Mas de San Lou (Cabasse); La Villa Thalassa (Le Lavandou); La Maison de Platane and Le Mas des Romarins (Fayence)
AOC Coteaux Varois en Provence : An area of 3,000 hectares in the heart of “Provence calcaire”, 28 communes are grouped around Brignoles.
This terroir is characterized by limestone folds with areas of gravel and flint, and by relief ranging from 600 to 1,000 meters (Sainte-Baume massif).
Here, vines grow at altitude: from 350 meters to 500 meters for the highest plots. The presence of rocky massifs prevents maritime influences from making themselves felt. In terms of climate, the often mild autumns and springs alternate with sometimes scorching summers and very cold, harsh winters, more marked than in the rest of the region. This is what makes the Coteaux Varois so special.
Its rosés, a lovely pale pink color, have a complex, expressive nose, with floral and fruit notes: citrus, sun fruit, red fruit. The palate is elegant, full-bodied, aromatic and persistent, with a fine balance between roundness and freshness. The reds are brilliantly colored, with a bouquet of cherry and morello cherry, pepper and licorice on the nose.
Strong, powerful tannins combine with a certain freshness. The whites are pale yellow with green reflections, with expressive notes of white fruit, sometimes floral and mentholated. Round and fresh on the palate, they offer an acidic balance.
Our next-door houses :
Le Clos d’Alari (Saint-Antonin du Var); Le Mas de Cotignac (Cotignac); Le Domaine Saint-Dominique (Seillons source d’Argens); La Bastide de la Provence Verte (Roquebrussanne)
AOC Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence : The 4,400 hectares of Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence vineyards are located in the extreme west of Provence. Winegrowing is undertaken between the ranges running parallel to the coast (la Nerthe, la Fare, d’Eguilles and la Trévaresse, des Costes extended by the Alpilles). The climate, marked by the Mistral, our cold, dry wind, allows the vines to benefit from a high level of annual sunshine and moderate annual rainfall in spring and autumn.
Rosés bring you bright, clear colors and a floral nose of tart red fruits, followed by intense aromas of citrus and sweet spices. Complex and fruity on the palate, rosé wines are thirst-quenching and very appetizing. The reds are full-bodied, clearly fruity and not woody.
Our next-door houses :
Bellone en Provence (Brue-Auriac); Le Domaine Saint-Dominique (Seillons source d’Argens)
AOC Vins de Bandol : The Bandol PDO covers eight communes in the west of the Var department:
Bandol, Le Beausset , La Cadière-d’Azur, Le Castellet, Ollioules, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, Sainte-Anne-d’Évenos, Sanary-sur-Mer.
Its geographical location in a vast amphitheater of hills, combining a warm, maritime-influenced climate with limestone soil, produces wines of the highest quality.
Powerful, full-bodied reds, rather aromatic and powerful whites, fresh and low in acidity, with notes of apple, and complex, elegant rosés, opening with aromas of red fruits, punctuated by notes of stone fruits and sweet spices. Wines from this terroir like to wait before revealing their secrets.
Our house next door:
La Bergerie des Oliviers (Meounes-Les-Montrieux)
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the South of France and discover the world of wine with a myriad of possible activities!
Hundreds of wineries and estates to visit, and some of them also offer catering for a wonderful food and wine experience:
Picnics, local produce, Michelin-starred restaurants and much more! You can also combine various activities to discover the vineyards in a different way: horseback riding, mountain biking, yoga in the vineyards, escape games, adventure courses, wine trails…
Some professionals even offer half-day “Wine tours”, where you can explore the roads as a couple or with friends, tasting the best wines and soaking up the oenological art de vivre typical of the Var.
Staying in one of the guesthouses in our network also means being ideally placed to follow the various iconic wine itineraries. The best-known of these is the Route des Vins de Provence: it runs through the Var and neighboring departments, and is a guarantee of the quality of welcome reserved for no fewer than 330 winegrowers who are keen to help visitors discover their world through original initiatives.
Some estates and châteaux are also places of art and heritage Art galleries and foundations, museums, relics, religious relics, installations and works of art… Numerous wine-related events are organized all year round throughout the Var, sometimes combining the world of wine with others such as music, art and gastronomy.
©2023. Les Maisons d'Hôtes de Provence. Tous droits réservés.