For lovers of French wine or those who just love the beauty in the vineyards of France, I’ve come up with this multi-part series on the wine regions of France, the first part being Provence.

Provençal wine is known for being fresh and fruity and is usually paired with seafood. The important red wine grapes of Provence are the Carigan, Cinsaut, and Mourvèdre whilst the important white wine grapes are the Ugni, Clairette, and Rolle. Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Bandol, Cassis, and Bellet, which are all sub-regions of Provence which are known for their wonderful wines so I’ve outlined each below.

The Côtes de Provence spans from Marseille to Nice which is the area also known as the Côtes d’Azur (French Riviera.) This area is known, in particular, for rose wine. In fact, nearly 80% of the 160 million bottles of wine are produced each year in this region is rose wine and half of all of France’s rose wine is made here. Rose, contrary to popular belief, is not made from mixing red and white wines but from either a red and white grape variety or by mixing red and white grapes.

With cheeses like feta, picodon, and pélardon and dishes like tomatoes provençales its no wonder the Côtes de Provence area is also known for its food.

The Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence is the second largest region in Provence. This region spans from the River Durance in the north and the Mediterranean in the south. In the heart of the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence is Aix-en-Provence which is a beautiful city built over hot springs. The Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence region is known mostly for its red wine as it accounts for nearly 60% of the wine produced here. The most important grapes of this region are Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Cinsaut.

The Bandol region spans between La Ciotat and Toulon. This area is known for some of the oldest vineyards of France. Since Marseille is nearby, the Bandol area has been exporting wine overseas for hundreds of years. Over 70% of wines produced in the Bandol region are red. Due to the coastal climate and soil composition, Mourvèdre grapes have flourished in this area. Red and rose wines from this region must contain at least 50% Mourvèdre grapes in their blend, but due to the full, rich flavor, producers often use a higher percentage of Mourvèdre in their blend. Grenache and Cinsaut are also important grapes in this region. Red Bandol wine is required to age at least 18 months, but most wine drinkers prefer Red Bandol to be aged 10 years.

In the area located along the coast between Bandol and Marseille, is the Cassis region. Unlike many surrounding regions, the Cassis region produces primarily white wine. The weather in the Cassis region paired with the limestone that makes up a large portion of the soil composition have allowed grapes such as Clairette, Ugni blanc, Sauvignon blanc, and Marsanne to flourish. The wine production of Cassis currently cannot meet up with the demand so many local laws have been created to protect vineyards from residential and commercial development. The low acid, full-bodied Provençal wines from this region are paired best local seafood.

Bellet is a small region which surrounds the city of Nice. Because of the steep land grade in the Bellet region, machines cannot be used to aid in the production of wine, thus less than 100,000 bottles are produced here. White wines produced in the Bellet region are primarily made from Pignerol and Mayorquin grapes while red and rose wines are primarily made from Fuella and Braquet grapes.

While in Provence, don’t forget to just enjoy yourself! There is a lot to do in the cities of Provence and the countryside is unbeatable. With idyllic villages and large seaports, the activities here are endless!