The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

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2 years ago

Issue No. 15

Discover the Drome, Nyons - the last Provencal frontier, Charente-Maritime, Burgundy, Paris gastronomy, Nice, secret Provence, recipes, a whole lot more. It's the next best thing to being in France...

Lavender, truffles and

Lavender, truffles and wine The Domaine de Grangeneuve is a short drive through the country from Roussas. The family who own it have been here for the last 50 years having returned from Algeria. Back then the “domaine” consisted of a derelict farm building, an over grown plot of woodland and the remains of a Roman villa. Today they grow Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre for their reds and Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache for their whites and are part of the AOC Grignan Les Adhemar. Their wines are soft, elegant and balanced and this is a beautiful spot to get to grips with a landscape that in addition to lavender and wine, is famous for truffles, olives and wonderful local produce. Their philosophy at Grangenwuve is to be the best possible and as you enter the main farm courtyard, there’s a beautiful vaulted cellar filled with oak barrels and vintage wines of the estate. You can discover the region in a variety of ways from here: there are two hiking trails and an electric bike route. They offer wine tasting, wine workshops or a day in the vineyards and winery. You can also enjoy cookery and gourmand workshops or discover local truffles – all washed down with a fine wine of course! They also do a fabulous picnic hamper bursting with local products which they’ll bring to you at one of their picnic tables and the focus here is very much on the gourmand. After all, as owner Henri Bour told me, “wine is a noble concept”.

A night at the mill Drop back down and out of the clutches of the Mistral, to the flat fields surrounding Valaurie and head to Le Moulin de Valaurie. This rather beautifully restored mill sits about a mile or so from the village and has views of it across the sunflower fields. Arrive at dusk to watch the sun slowly dropping behind Valaurie. Le Moulin de Valaurie is a 3-star restaurant and hotel and is utterly charming. It’s managed to hold on to its rural past but feels elegant and chic too. It’s the perfect place to relax, unwind and refuel before you head deeper into the delights of Drôme. INFORMATION For details of Domaine de Grangeneuve and Le Moulin de Valaurie visit: domainesbour.com lemoulindevalaurie.com For more information about Drôme visit: www.ladrometourisme.com Transport to Drôme: Valence has a TGV station and it’s possible to get trains from the UK or Paris: tgv.uk.voyages-sncf.com Although valence has an airport, most flights are to Lyon or Grenoble.