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 We complete our tour with a visit to the hill top town of Les Baux-de-Provence.
This deserted citadel was once home to the Grimaldi family (now of course in possession of Monaco). A small village still survives on the outskirts of the castle and here we found a delightful specialty olive store. The patron had a wealth of knowledge on the local region. Les Baux oils have traditionally been produced for quality rather than quantity, relying on a small select
market.
To qualify for the ‘Appellation huile d’olive de la Vallee des Baux de Provence controlee’, the French regional quality standard, the trees must be grown on a layout 6 x 6 metres at least. Some new plantings do not meet this standard however, many recent growers
deciding to compete on volume rather than local quality requirements. EEC standards, favouring the larger
producers, encourage this change.
Our most prized French olive purchase is found here. A beautifully presented assortment of Mediterranean oils: Disisa from Sicily, Italy
(Cerasuola, Biancolilla, Nocella del Bolice); Kalamata from Peloponese, Greece (Karoneiki) ; and Haute
Provence, France (Aglandau, Bouteillan). The three bottles are in a steel cruet complete with pourers and blank labels for future use. What marketing…and
the oils are great!
Our final view of France is the outlook from the castle of Les Baux of the Vallee des Baux, with its intricate patchwork of olive groves, each with its own particular style of growing. A view to be treasured as we now set off for Italy.
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