The Other Fontainebleau - A visit to Domaine Fontainebleau in the Var

Growing up in Germany, I was not too thrilled to study Latin in school, which was compulsory.  To clarify, of course, school was compulsory, but so was Latin.  My aversion to Latin was because Latin was a “dead” language.  With whom can one converse in this ancient language?  Naturally, the Latin coursework also wove in the history of the Romans, which further blended into learning about Geography as we learned about Roman conquests.  It was only later, as an adult, I began to really appreciate these teachings.

I remember a school lesson about how the Roman Empire allowed retired soldiers from Roman Legions to settle in Provence and allowed them to grow grapes and olives. In fact, while visiting the Provence, or as the Romans called it Provincia Romana, one can still experience these reminders of the Roman influence. 

We were excited to explore Provence and its vineyards.  So one summer, on a leisurely drive in the Var (in the South of France) through the vineyards between Cotignac and Brignoles, we noticed a sign announcing the Domaine Fontainebleau. 

My husband remarked, “I wonder if this is related to the Chateau de Fontainebleau?”  We had visited the Chateau de Fontainebleau, the magnificent palace of the kings and emperors of France (see my recent blog post) earlier that summer.  Could there be a royal connection?

Curious, we turned in at the sign and followed the road to the main building:

Domaine Fontainebleau’s property covers 27 hectares of vines, with several streams running through it.  Those streams feed 12 fountains.  Not surprisingly the Romans gave it the name Fontaine Bello (or beautiful fountain), and Fontainebleau is a contraction of that.  We decided to stop in one afternoon to discover its charms.  As we approached the property, one could still experience these remnants of Roman influence and charm.  Off in the distance, we could see a portion of a Roman aqueduct.

The estate was divided into a number of parcels dedicated to specific grape varieties.

We also saw lavender and olive trees planted. I can just imagine, how beautiful the lavender would look in the spring.  However we visited in the fall, and the lavender had been neatly cut.

As we approached the main building, a beautiful patio shaded by oak and olive trees greeted us.  One side of the patio was bordered by one of the fountains.  The gurgling sound of the water splashing into the basin below had a really calming, relaxing effect on us.

Throughout the patio and the property, various antique wine-making machinery and equipment were on display.  Below is a grape crusher.

Grapes would be loaded into this grape crusher which would have been placed over a barrel.  The “steering” wheel on the side would be turned to rotate a set of rollers located in the bottom of the crusher.  The rollers would crush the berries, releasing the juice, which would drain into the barrel below.

Another method of extracting the juice was by use of a grape press.

Grapes would be loaded into this cylindrical-shaped grape press whose bottom was a rigid surface.  The sides of the cylinder consisted of wooden slats fastened to and held together by either wooden or metal hoops.  Once the grapes, grape skins, or whole grape clusters were placed inside, a wooden disk that would just fit precisely into the basket, which would have been placed on top.  The complete assembly again would be sitting over a barrel. 

Do you notice the central ratcheting threaded screw on top of the press?  It is just on top of the horizontal beam attached to the wooden disk.  Pressure would be applied to the wooden, movable disk from top-down, crushing the berries, once again releasing the juice, which would drain from the gaps in the slats into the barrel below.

Here are some of the antique carriages used in the fields to transport the harvest:

Next, we went inside the tasting and reception area.  The space was airy and inviting mixing the old with the new.

Talk about mixing the old with the new.  How do you like this coffee table with its swivel wheels!  It really caught my fancy.

After exploring the tasting room, we stepped out through the French doors on the left and onto the balcony that encircled the building. The view of this little piece of heaven in “la Provence Verte” (the Green Provence) was absolutely stunning:

A bit in the distance, can you spot the windmill?

After we “drank in” the view, we went back inside, made ourselves comfortable on one of the cozy couches, ordered some local cheese, tapenade and let the wine tasting begin!

We sampled white, rose, and red wines from the estate, and bought several bottles to take home and share with friends.

What a memorable, very relaxing, and special afternoon we spent among friends enjoying good conversation and experiencing the wonderful wines born on this estate.

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