For a long time, La Bégude was a stopover on the road that led from Marseille to Toulon, a shelter for the night where you could find feasts, shelters and “beguda”, the drink in Provencal. In the XVIIth century, the travelers as well as the pilgrims going to the mountain Sainte Baume, sometimes came across Gaspard de Besse and his band, Robin Hoods of the hills, who took refuge during the day in the caves of the surroundings. Located on the highest point of the Bandol appellation, at an altitude of 410 meters, more than 300 hectares of land lie in the shade of the mountain Sainte Baume, on the well named Cadière d’Azur, protecting in their garrigue ramparts, 30 hectares of vines divided into 55 plots. One of them, overlooking the sea,shelters a conservatory to the glory of Mourvèdre: the largest reservoir in the world of this cépage, which brings together more than 150 varieties. An openair museum.

As a wine region, Provence is best known for rosés, which, happily, are an excellent match for the sunny climate (France’s sunniest) and the region’s garlic-infused cuisine. Although the sub-region of Bandol is offering some serious Mourvèdre-centric red wines and while the tiny Cassis sub-region is known for white wines, rosés are the bread and butter for most of Provence. The region extends inland to the southern end of the Rhône Valley and stretches over 200 kilometers (100 miles), from Nice to Marseilles, along the Mediterranean. Tourism to the plentiful beaches—the perfect setting for chilled rosé—explains why some sub-regions have little need for exports. Traces of Provence’s centuries in the middle of many international tug-of-wars can be found in its grape varieties. Tibouren, long thought to be indigenous, turned out to be a DNA match for the Italian variety Rossese di Dolceacqua. Rhone varieties are the preponderant components in most Provençal wines but Cabernet Sauvignon, the non-Mediterranean émigré from Bordeaux, is allowed in small quantities.