PETER MAYLE'S RESTAURANT PICKS

British author Peter Mayle spent 15 years in advertising before leaving the business, in 1975, to write children's books. In 1990, he published A Year in Provence, which became an international bestseller; his books have since been translated into 20-plus languages. Mayle’s novel A Good Year was the basis for a 2006 film of the same name...directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, it was filmed almost entirely in the Luberon. Peter has just finished his 25th book, a novel called The Vintage Caper, to be published by Knopf next year. He and his wife, Jennie, live in Lourmarin. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Peter for Conde Nast Traveller UK and Wine Spectator and so I grabbed the chance to ask him to name some of his favorite local spots.

"The crew of the film (A Good Year) liked the Michelin two-star Bastide de Capelongue, just outside Bonnieux, and so do I. Chef/owner Edouard Loubet has two Michelin stars. It’s where you go for a special meal, a celebration. 04-90-75-89-78.

I love Le Fournil, in the lower part of the village of Bonnieux. The restaurant is cut out of the rocks and you can sit outside by the fountain in summer. 04-90-75-83-62.

Auberge de la Loube, at Buoux, outside Bonnieux, has a rustic menu, wonderful views and horses tethered in the car park. 04-90-74-19-58.

Auberge de L’Aiguebrun, outside Bonnieux, is in a marvelous setting in a secluded valley with an elegant country menu. 04-90-04-47-00.

In Lourmarin there’s a tremendous place which does just steak and crêpes, called Crêperie la Louche à Beurre. It’s very simple but has a wonderful atmosphere. It’s run by a delightful lady named Babette, who was partly my inspiration for the character Fanny in A Good Year. 04-90-68-00-33.

Ansouis is very pretty town and there’s a charming place just down the street from the Mairie called La Closerie. Excellent food and very good value for money. 04-90-09-90-54.

In St. Martin de la Brasque, 12 km north of Pertuis, I like Restaurant de La Fontaine, for very good simple food in a nice setting. The stuffed fleurs de courgettes are worth the trip on their own. 04-90-07-72-16.

L'Ardoise in Cadenet is simple, friendly, very good food and not going to break the bank. 04-90-68-35-35.

And for anyone who loves wine, there’s a wonderful wine store in Apt, La Cave du Septier. They have an extraordinary selection of labels from south and southwest France, run by a very nice couple. And they ship. It’s one of the best wine shops I’ve seen outside Paris. 04-90-04-77-38. There's also the Cave du Château in Lourmarin. They have terrific selection of local wines and olive oils."

FREDERIC CLOT, MY HERO!!

I returned to St. Remy last week to find that my Internet modem was kaput. So I called Frederic Clot, who was recommended to me by friends. He arrived when he said he would and speaks lovely English. He quickly diagnosed the problem and put in a work order for me at AOL and France Telecom. They said it would take four days and it did. When Frederic returned to make sure it was all sorted out, he was also able to fix a problem with my Sky Box and video sender--it turns out he does TV (French and UK systems) as well. Next week he'll come back and install my new WiFi Neuf box and explain to me how it works. I can't recommend him highly enough; please tell him I sent you. His phone: 06-68-82-81-38.

LUXE IN THE LUBERON

The French soap maker L’Occitane (and two investors) have opened the 46-room Couvent des Minimes Hotel & Spa in a restored 400-year-old stone convent outside Mane, in the Luberon. (It's about an hour from Avignon.) I haven't been there yet but I hear, from well-traveled friends, that it's amazing. The four-star hotel is home to the first L’Occitane Spa in France. Chef Philippe Guerin, 38, trained with top chefs such as Alain Chapel and the Pourcel brothers in Montpellier; he also worked at the Negresco (Nice) and the Château le Domaine Saint Martin, a Relais & Châteaux in Vence. General manager Pierre‐Alexandre Francin moved over from Villa Gallici in Aix--and was at the Meurice in Paris for more than a decade--so you can be sure the service is every bit as great as the setting. In November, doubles begin at 205 euros and special fall/winter packages are available. For readers of my blog, Pierre-Alexandre is offering an elegant L'Occitane Gift Set as a welcome treat. www.couventdesminimes-hotelspa.com/; reservations@couventdesminimes-hotelspa.com

LOST IN TRANSLATION?

I just happened on a wonderful new program called MeGlobe. (Register free at MeGlobe.com and choose a username and password.) It's basically a real time translator for instant messaging, which allows you to "chat" with people all over the world, in their own language. As you type, you'll see your original message as well as the translation of it, into the language of your choice. (There are many, including Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.) For anyone who needs to communicate with non-English speakers on a regular basis, this could be incredibly helpful. An English to French test run just showed fairly good and accurate translation...as long as you keep your original message somewhat simple. MeGlobe is still in Beta but try it...it's fun and easy to use. Just remember that the person you're trying to reach needs to sign up as well. If you'd like to try it with me, my screename is juliemautner.

FIVE FAVORITE VINEYARDS TO VISIT

Sommelier Larry Stone was the first American to win the title "International Best Sommelier in French Wines and Spirits" and remains the only American to have earned the title of Maitre Sommelier from the Union de la Sommelerie Française. He is also an English-certified Master Sommelier, one of a handful of people who passed the exam on the first attempt. Today he runs the award-winning Rubicon Estate in Napa Valley and is working on his own wine label, Sirita, named for his daughter. Larry loves Provence and so I asked him to tell us five of his favorite local vineyards.

Updated in 2020: Larry now runs Lingua Franca, a winery estate in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, which he co-founded in 2015, inspired by the exceptional vineyard site in the Eola-Amity Hills that he bought in 2012.

1) Brusset Cairanne and Brusset Hauts de Montmirail, nestled up to the slopes of the Ventoux, produce some of the best wines in the region. (Great olive oil can also be found in the district.) They have a place in Cairanne as well as in Gigondas. Go to Gigondas for the views and local flavor. There are some other great wineries there too, like Domaine de Pallieres and Domaine Raspail-Ay. 

2) Domaine de Trevallon, 7 km west of St. Remy, is making some of the most original and striking wines in Provence. Because his slopes are north-facing Eloi Durrbach planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, instead of the predominant and traditional Mourvedre, which in spite of that makes a wine that exudes the terroir of Provence and the special soils found in Les Baux (as in "bauxite", i.e. aluminum). 

3) Mas de Gourgonnier, near Les Baux. It's family owned and has been farmed organically for over three decades. They utilize a mix of traditional varieties along with some Cabernet Sauvignon for their red wines and Sauvignon Blanc for the white. Their olive oil is a blend of four traditional local varieties.

4) Domaine Tempier's Bandol Rouge La Migoua, La Tourtine, Cabassaou, and also the Ros are legendary wines which are the product of the genial Lucien Peyraud who passed away a decade ago, but under whose guidance this old family estate, owned since 1834, became the birthplace of a modern Provencal renaissance. This estate continues to be the summit of French Mourvedre viticulture; it's the classic and defining grape from Provence. Located near the town of Castellet, the local color is also attractive yet sophisticated with F1 and motorcycle races taking place here. It was also the location for the Marcel Pagnol film, The Baker's Wife. 

5) Domaine de Rimauresq is in the Cote d'Azur in the beautiful town of Pignans and makes a delicious and unique white wine from around 85% Rolle, with a little Ugni Blanc. The red wines are also outstanding and the estate was one of the top places after phylloxera beginning in the late 1880s. The winery is modern in technique but the vineyard is old and traditionally farmed. It was acquired in the late 1980s by a Scottish family and is located near Toulon.

Also...Chateau Vignelaure near Rians is making excellent wines...and so is Richaume in Puyloubier (Cotes de Provence), created by a cello-playing history professor and now run by his son.

Think of This Blog as a Bulletin Board

Bonjour! I'm hoping my new blog will be a great way to keep each other posted about things we experience and love here in our little corner of paradise.

I hope that when you discover a charming village, new restaurant, gorgeous hotel, unique shop, great-value wine or anything else worthwhile, you'll share the names with us. If you hear about an upcoming event that sounds like fun--an art show, concert, dance performance, truffle festival, whatever--please let me know so I can post it.

If you're looking to buy or sell something...if you know of groups that need volunteers...or interesting classes...or good deals...or a great beach...or a new business that needs our support...or anything that will make our lives here more meaningful or more fun...email me at: provenceblog@aol.com

As time passes, I'll see how this works and decide if it makes sense to continue. My dear friend Terry Kelleher got the ball rolling with his website AlpillesNews.com; it served a great purpose and is definitely missed. Now I'm hoping I can take things to the next level and I really hope you'll all participate. All advice and comments welcome!

Finally, a big thank you to Ruth Phillips and Julian Merrow-Smith, my new best friends in the Vaucluse! They were complete strangers when I wrote them this morning to see if the name I had chosen for this blog (Postcards from Provence) was too similar to the name of Julian's blog and website (it's called Postcard from Provence and you see it at http://shiftinglight.com/) and if they'd prefer that I change it. I had barely hit send when they replied that I was welcome to use the name...but because they were so nice, I changed it. And then, of course, it turns out that we have friends in common and share food as a passion....and we're already trading restaurant tips. Julian's paintings are very beautiful and quite affordable; they're sold auction style. The pitcher and brioche at the top of this post are his...and I encourage you all to visit his site, which changes daily.

Best Wishes!
Julie