I love a good wine. But I am not a connaisseur as such who knows all about the grapes, the colours, or wine and food pairing. To my food I offer accompanying non-alcoholic fermented drinks like kefir, water infused with fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits and of course freshly brewed herbal teas as there are so many herbs just growing in the wild here.

Combined with hot water they make for lovely warm drinks in winter and cool thirst quenching drinks in summer. I am also increasingly trying my hand at mixing mocktails: creative non-alcoholic cocktails. But as much as we make an effort to live healthily: I love a good wine and yes, I know how to drink😊 

When clients are interested in knowing more about wine or require well though out food-wine pairings, I work with a lovely sommelier who knows all local wines including the vegan ones. I took me a while to realise that not all wines are vegan. I thought: wine is fermented grapes right? So how’s that not vegan? And once I dove in, a whole world opened and I still have many questions. However, the most important thing to keep in mind is that wines may be clarified with animal products. There is not obligation to feature this on the label as the products are filtered out before you drink the wine.

My two tips (and the list will grow over time!) of wines that are great on taste, price and come from lovely domains:

• Domaine Perréal is a vegan bio wine domain in Gargas, beautiful, good wine (I am not a connaisseur but I know a good glass) and lovely staff who speak various languages and are very knowledgeable.
• Chateau Le Canorgue, very close to Bonnieux where you will be staying, is a biological wine domain already since the 70s and was amongst if not the first to go that way in this region. No animal products are used in the wine nor in the glue, however, the bio dynamic fertiliser they use does contain cow horn.