La Verrière Estate :

Where do you go to relax? While a beach vacation is often the answer to this question, there are alternatives that offer a dose of culture along with a relaxing environment. I found this out firsthand driving along a two-lane road towards La Verrière, a spectacular, remote wine estate in the French region of Provence. En route we passed fields of spring flowers, in every hue of yellow, orange, and red. After a series of final hairpin turns, La Verrière came into view. This estate has the majesty of a castle, the looming presence of a place that must be explored.

La Verrière • A Romantic Vineyard Retreat
Pulling into the driveway, I learned that La Verrière got its name from the French word for workshop of a glassblower. Nicole Sierra-Rolet and her husband restored the property over the course of ten years. When they began, a fig tree was growing in the center of the living room. Now the home has been elegantly restored and there is a fully operating winery on site.

La Verrière has the atmosphere of an elegant country escape. The home has 17 bedrooms, just small enough to be intimate, and large enough to accommodate groups, events, and weddings. Taking a seat in the living room, I got my first taste of La Verrière’s own super-premium wines, called Chêne Bleu. Sipping a glass of rosé from the 2007 vintage, it was clear with each delicious sip that Nicole and her team take the production of wines very seriously.

What to Expect
Everything about La Verrière offers a communal atmosphere, making this a perfect country retreat for groups of friends. A long, wooden dining table is complemented by a grand piano, all looking out over a terrace surrounded by tall cypress trees. The format of the building and meals encourages interaction between guests, but there is also enough room to spread out and plan private meals.

Breakfast 
One of my favorite times of day at La Verrière was the morning. Breakfast here is informal, with no need to arrive during a specified window of time. Whenever we woke naturally we would descend the stairs and enter the kitchen where breakfast was arranged in the center of a large island in the professional kitchen. This also gave me the time to watch the chef prepare meals for the day and snag a few cooking tips to bring back to my own kitchen.

My Suite
There are many reasons to be late for breakfast at La Verrière. My favorite element of our gorgeous suite was the bathroom. A free-standing bathtub was the centerpiece of the room. The shower not only had fantastic pressure but was enhanced by jets spraying water from the walls. The fluffiest of towels and all-natural products provided an especially luxurious start to the day.

The Grounds
After breakfast, I took a stroll through the grounds. All throughout I discovered private nooks for relaxing: benches carved from dead tree trunks, an outdoor daybed stocked with fluffy pillows, and tables and chairs overlooking the vineyards. Not only is it possible to take a stroll in the vines that form the foundation of La Verrière’s wines, but is also possible to explore the fruit and vegetable garden. The garden can also be reserved as a location for a private dinner, where strings of lights are hung in the fig trees to provide a touch of romance.   

Winery Tour
Next on my agenda was a tour of the winery, led by La Verrière’s in-house winemaker. With the renovation of the house, a state of the art winery was built, now capable of harvesting, bottling, and ageing wine all in-house. During construction of the winery, they dug two stories down into the earth to take advantage of gravity during winemaking. From the aging room full of French oak barrels to the modern tasting room, this is an impressive facility. After our tour, we sat down to sample the four varieties of wine made here.

Wine Tasting
Two reds, one white, and one rosé make up the label of Chêne Bleu. Translated from French as Blue Oak, this name is derived from a tall blue oak that is the center of the landscape of La Verrière. There are 100 acres of vines that grow different Rhône varietals, including Syrah and Grenache on the property. La Verrière is devoted to environmentally friendly practices, creating wine in a chemical free way that is respectful of the local terroir.

Atmosphere
The relaxing atmosphere of La Verrière is appealing all year round. I visited during the spring, as wildflowers bloomed. Autumn offers the perfect time for those visitors who want to witness the harvest and taste new wine. Whether summer afternoons by the ....