Hello Monaco magazine HelloMonaco 2018#04_Summer_Autumn_WEB | Page 54

HelloMonaco weekend
For the art-loving
connoisseur…
I
f you’ve ever dreamt of combining
priceless art with wine, this is the place
for you. Dating back to the 14th cen-
tury, Château Sainte-Roseline is named
after the Marquis de Villeneuve’s daughter
Roseline (a novice who was later canon-
ized). This ancient wine estate produces
some of the Var’s finest Crus Classés wines.
The Teillaud family took over the estate
in the 1990s and tastefully restored the
abbey with the help of renowned archi-
tect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. If you book in
advance, you can combine your tasting
with a visit to the chapel (classified as a
historical monument) whose extraordi-
nary interiors include a mosaic depicting
the angels’ supper by Chagall and a bronze
lectern by Giacometti.
Afterwards, you can sleep amongst the
vines at the Teillaud’s sister wine estate
in nearby La Motte. Formerly owned by
Monaco’s ow n Grimaldi family, Château
des Demoiselles (www.chateaudesde-
moiselles.com, + 33(0)4 9470 2878) offers
sumptuous bed-and-breakfast accommo-
dation. Another nearby winery worth visi­
ting is Château de Saint-Martin (www.
chateaudesaintmartin.com, [phone]
7676) in Taradeau. Run by the Comtesse
de Gasquet and her daughter Adeline,
this 40-hectare wine estate houses a his-
toric castle where you can visit the Medi-
eval cellars built by the Lérins monks and
where families can enjoy everything from
quad biking to pastry-making classes.
Château Sainte-Roseline, 83460 Les
Arcs-sur-Argens (www.sainte-roseline.
com, [phone]). The wine shop is
open from Mon to Fri 9am to 12.30am and
2pm to 6.30pm; weekends and bank holi-
days 10am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 6pm.
The chapel can be visited in the afternoon
from Tuesday to Sunday. Its sister property,
Château de Demoiselles offers accommo-
dation from June to September.
© www.chateauroubine.com
For the gastronome…
T
© www.chateauroubine.com
he first time I ever saw a square
wine bottle was over an idyllic
lunch at Château de Berne. Its sig-
nature bottles house reputed red, white
and rosé wines made from its own 1,235-
acre wine estate near Lorgues at the south-
ern end of the Haut Var. This is the place
where wine lovers live out their Provençal
fairytale in a historic wine château whose
roots date back to Roman times. Nowa-
days, the château is a five-star hotel that’s
up-to-date on luxur y
with its Cinq Mondes
spa, indoor and outdoor
pools and fitness centre.
For my money, it’s the
organic cuisine that sets
this wine estate apart.
T h e r e ’s a M i c h e l i n -
starred restaurant, Le
Jar d i n d e B e nj ami n
([phone]) where
Provençal flavours are in-
spired by the seasons
52 / Hello Monaco Summer–Autumn 2018
© www.chateauroubine.com
using fresh, homegrown produce straight
from the domain’s own kitchen garden.
However, my favourite feature is the beau-
tifully designed cooking school where you
can learn the secrets behind chef Benja-
min Collombat’s cuisine. Throughout the
summer, courses focus on a host of themes
such as kitchen-garden vegetables and
flowers, bread making and desserts.
Château de Berne, Route de Salernes,
Flayosc, 83510 Lorgues (www.chateau-
berne.com, [phone]). Wine tast-
ings are available daily from 10am to
6pm in winter and 10am to 7pm in sum-
mer. Double rooms from €330 per night
in low season and from €530 in high sea-
son. Le Jardin de Benjamin restaurant is
open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to
Sunday (mid-June to mid-September) and
from Wednesday to Sunday (the rest of the
year). Two-hour cookery courses cost from
€70 per person.
For the historian…
N
o wine-tasting trip to the Var is
complete without visiting one of
France’s oldest wine estates, Châ-
teau Roubine. Extending over 130 hec-
tares, this wine estate grows 13 different
grape varieties, with its calcareous clay soil,
its East-West orientation and its natural
drainage (roubine comes from the Proven-
çal word for a stream). These ideal wine-
growing conditions produce award-win-
ning red, white, rosé and sparkling wines
including one of Côtes de Provence’s few
Crus Classés wines.
Château Roubine’s history dates back to
the 14th century when the Knights Tem-
plar donated the estate to the Order of
Saint John. There’s no onsite restaurant,
but luckily Lorgues is the seat of the Var’s
truffle king, Chez Bruno (www.restau-
rantbruno.com, [phone]). Gas-
tronomes flock here from all over France
and abroad to taste Bruno’s truffle-infused
cuisine under an idyllic terrace of vines.
Afterwards, you can overnight in one of
the pretty Provençal rooms and suites. For
longer stays of two nights or more, you
can sleep amongst Château Roubine’s own
vines in its pretty gîte, Le Mas des Cande-
liers (www.masdescandeliers.com).
Château Roubine, 4216 Route de Draguig-
nan, 83510 Lorgues (www.chateauroubine.
com, [phone]). Wine tasting avail-
able from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday;
weekends and bank holidays from 10am
to 6pm in summer; Saturdays from 10am
to 6pm in winter. Cellar visits need to be
booked in advance.