Wine, Olive oil and Tapenade

The wine

In Provence you don't need a directory to buy wine. In every village the doors of the wine cellars are open all year round.
Three AOC come from the department of Vaucluse::
–  Côte du Rhône
–  Côte du Ventoux
–  Côte du Luberon
Most of the wines with AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) come from Côte du Rhône. 8 villages are entitled to bear the label Côte du Rhône village: Beaumes-de-Venise, Cairanne, Rasteau, Roaix, Sablet, Séguret, Valréas and Visan. And the wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueras bear the name of the village. The principal grape varieties are: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre.

The olive tree

– Symbol of longevity and hope – Symbol of power – Symbol of fidelity.

In France olive cultivation has been established 3000 years back. Table olive varieties are:la Picholine (all over France) La Lucques and la Grossanne. The variety la Tanche is rich in oil and used both table olive and olive oil. In the year 1995 this olive got the label AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) as first.

The Tapenade

This olive paste is spread on toasted bread and goes well with a glass of Côte du Rhône wine:
Ingredients: olives, capers, anchovies, a little bit of salt and olive oil. Mix all the ingredients in the liquidizer.