Bandol wine

Bandol is a popular harbour town on the French Riviera, with an extra attraction – the wines for which it is very well known.

After exploring Bandol itself and before venturing out to experience the rest of the of the Var, be sure to tour the vineyards. For anyone accustomed to the glitzy tasting rooms of Napa filled with expensive glassware and expansive displays of wine-related do-dads, it will be an experience to remember.

Here, in most cases, you will follow a simple rustic sign to a modest house or barn where, after ringing a bell, you will be welcomed into a simple tasting room, by the proprietor or a member of the family who will offer you generous pours of whatever wines suit your fancy.

Of course, there are more traditional chateaus here as well, but it’s best to mix it up a bit. You’ll be surprised to find how successful the quest for quality can be among producers large and small.

To oenephiles, it is a paradise where hundreds of terraced vineyards produce some of the finest wines in France, and, indeed, the world. At only about 1500 hectares in size, the appellation of Bandol is about a tenth of the size of California’s Napa Valley. Wine production which is limited by a policy that results in aggressive pruning so that the total output of AOC Bandol is about one percent that of the better-known region of Bordeaux to the north. The dividend is in the quality of the wines.

The wines of Bandol are highly prized by those in the know. They probably first rose to fame about the time Louis XV began to serve it at the royal table touting it as his secret to youth. In 1941, the region was granted “Appellation d’Origine Controlée” status, (AOC) and was among the first regions of France to be accorded such a distinction.

Bandol is perhaps most widely known for its fresh, dry herbaceous and fruity rosés, but its substantial red wines deserve equal praise. Built solidly around the varietal grape, mourvèdre, most of the best reds not only age well but are best kept for twelve years or longer.