France is widely regarded as the mother of all wine-producing countries and the history of this (delicious) art goes back to the Ancient Greek and Roman eras. The French are fiercely proud of this heritage, and of course, their wines are used as the benchmark against which all other wines are held. So during a visit to Le Serre, a small village outside of Carpentras known for its vineyards, I’m surprised to find myself at Domaine de Marottes, an organic winery owned by two Dutch citizens: Daan and Elvira van Dijkman. This standout winery has perfected the process of creating 6 select organic wines: 1 rose, 2 white, 3 red.
How did I end up at a Dutch-owned winery in the middle of Provencal France? My Local Hosts, Pascha and Marcel, are originally from Holland and over the past year they have introduced this winery not only to me, but to many of our guests. Visiting the Domaine de Marottes is a unique experience: you can take a guided tour of the many hectares of vines, or you can follow the 9 stations they have set up with iPods that are providing information in more 10 languages!
This winery and its owners are particularly special because it is rare to find French wineries not owned by French citizens. Due to their outsider status, Daan and Elvira have suffered from discrimination and conflict with their neighbors for fifteen difficult years. Despite these setbacks, however, they have continued their hard work and stuck to their vision of following the rules of organic production to create tasty and environmentally-friendly wines.
What makes a wine organic? Some of the rules of organic production include burning the waste produced, and not disposing of it using chemicals. Each vine, on all 8 hectares of land, is picked by hand to ensure that only the good grapes are used, and that no leaves or stems make it into the process. As most wine connoisseurs know, the only material used in organic wineries to cure diseases and to prevent them is copper – Domaine de Marottes therefore only uses copper for these particular issues.
The thing I like best about Domaine de Marottes and its owners is that it is a teaching vineyard; many students intern here during the summer months. Not only do these students work outdoors with the vines, they also work in other parts of the wine-making process, including emptying and cleaning the wooden and steel containers. To lighten things up, the students have friendly skills competitions, such as racing to see who can empty the steels tanks full of grape skins the fastest. These students bring a fun and lively energy to the vineyard and their passion for this ancient art is infectious.
Wine tastings and vineyard visits can often feel repetitive, but Domaine de Marottes is different. After your winery tour, you can choose from one of four locations to have your tasting and lunch – most of which are set amongst the vines! There’s nothing better than sitting with your friends and family in the open air of the French countryside to enjoy a typical dejeuner Provencal. And families with children need not fret: Domaine des Marottes is prepared for you. Kids receive their own picnic basket for lunch which includes plastic plates and cups, coloring crayons, balloons, and some other fun toys and have plenty of space to run around while the adults relax over a glass of wine and take in the beautiful views.
This hidden gem is not an easy find for visitors of the Ventoux region. Pascha and Marcel, having moved to this area 8 years ago, have connected with their fellow Dutchmen and as a result were able to introduce this unique winery experience to many of our guests, myself included. It’s truly a great way to spend a day.
A Bientot,
Vaiva - Villa Specialist
Vaiva is on the road in France this Spring visiting the region, our properties and fabulous team of Local Hosts. Contact us stay@hostedvillas.com to start planning your trip to France and Domaine de Marottes!
