Wine in Provence

My wife and I are traveling Europe with another couple and stopped in Aix for a few days. We just finished «The Best of Aix» tour with Hilary and had a great time. She took us shopping in the market, olive oil tasting, to the cheese shop, the wine shop and back for a cooking class to pair a three course lunch we cooked with three wines. We made a quiche, fruit dessert and a little app and it was all delicious!
I can’t say enough about this tour. Hilary was incredibly bubbly and knowledgable. She was on a cheek kissing basis with everyone, even the cheese guy who scowled at the rest of the locals. I recommend this tour to anyone and everyone traveling in Aix!

My group of 3 did the rose excursion with Brian. I can’t think of a more memorable way to celebrate Provence’s bounty of good wine and food than indulge in this one-​of-​a-​kind wine «lesson» (which, for us, was more of a boozy, let’s-drink-and-laugh-and-celebrate-life excursion).
Brian picked us up from Aix and drove us along a scenic route stretching along Mount Ste. Victoire. We arrived at a local winery where we sampled red, white, and rose wines. We walked amongst the vines, had a great time and eventually made it to a secluded park where we set up a picnic table and drank 2 bottles of rose, ate fresh baguettes from the market and nibbled on fresh strawberries and grapes. All this epicurean goodness while drenched in the golden, Provencale sun and surrounded by the very landscape that inspired Cezanne’s paintings. Does it get any better? Only if you have great company to do it with (and I did!).
I would relive this afternoon again in a heartbeat.
Some quick tips:
–This wonderful afternoon excursion was approximately 80 euros a person, which included all the bites, (lots of) wine, and transportation.
–I highly recommend it to anyone traveling through Provence who is more comfortable speaking English (although our host was also fluent in French).
–Our host was very knowledgeable and personable. If you are serious about tasting wine and learning about it, the Wine in Provence folks have your back.
–Wine in Provence offers other great wine tastings, cooking classes and winery tours.