Located in the heart of the Luberon Nature Reserve, and in stunning countryside overlooking the valley, the Le Phébus & Spa hotel is home to a charming gourmet restaurant that will delight those with a passion for fine dining.

Luxurious, peaceful, sensual. Three words that perfectly describe the spirit and charm of this high-end establishment. Housed within a dry-stone farmhouse built on ruins that date back to the Knights of the Order of Malta, Le Phébus & Spa has around 30 elegant suites for you to relax in, a well-being centre to recharge your batteries and a Michelin-starred restaurant that will delight your taste buds.

In the restaurant’s light and airy dining area, with its large rooms and extensive terrace, a talented duo provide diners with a delightfully refined gourmet experience.

Over in the kitchen, Michelin-starred chef Xavier Mathieu is in the driving seat. A native of Provence, he draws inspiration from the traditional recipes of his home region. Following the seasons, he reinterprets typical dishes with creativity and finesse, creating subtle yet bold plates that are filled with colour. An example of this is his soupe au pistou: a real highlight!

In the cellar, Romain Marlet applies his expertise and sophisticated palate to further enhance the menu’s dishes. To strike the right balance between dishes and wines and find the perfect match, he serves regional wines alongside regional dishes.

Each wine is carefully selected to enhance the menu’s iconic dishes.

High-quality wines from the finest appellations find their way to the table: on the sommelier’s suggestion, the famous soupe au pistou is served with a Ventoux du Domaine de Tara AOP. The aromas of a Ventoux du Domaine du Chêne Bleu AOC embellish the lamb baked in sandy garrigue, and a Muscat de Beaume de Venise du Domaine des Bernardins AOC brings its freshness to the succulent crispy fennel with soured milk.

Many of the wines served in the restaurant are produced in neighbouring wine estates. Adventurous wine lovers can set off by bike along Luberon’s roads to meet winemakers, with a gourmet picnic prepared by the chef in their bike basket.

Foodies, prepare yourselves for pure pleasure!

With its haughty silhouette rising atop the slopes of the Loir Valley, the Château de Noirieux is the ideal base from which to explore the vineyards of Anjou and the region's heritage.

Living like a lord while sampling the delights that Anjou has to offer... Although this seems like a fairy tale, this magical experience can be yours when you book a stay at the Château de Noirieux. In its 22-acre grounds, filled with the scent of cedar, walnut and lime trees as darkness falls, this sumptuous 19-room hotel is a true oasis of tranquillity and boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant.

In this atmosphere of refined sophistication and sleepy serenity, the hotel – built of tufa stone and with its 15th century manor and pretty chapel – stands as an example of the historical and architectural heritage that lends this region its charm.

But this heritage is far from the only attraction: its special location at the heart of a renowned vineyard makes it the ideal base from which to discover the area's many excellent wines.

The wine tours offered by the Château are an excellent way to visit some of the Saumur appellation’s small-scale winemakers. Many of the estates open their doors to visitors for tastings, including the Domaine de Nerleux, which also organises a unique underground visit to its former mushroom-growing rooms. Nearby, wine lovers can discover the right bank of the Loire river, where dry white wines reign supreme. Overlooking the river, the Savennières wine region offers a range of relaxing wine-related excursions. The Coulée de Serrant vineyard, run by the Joly family, is just one of the unmissable stops on your itinerary. These passionate winemakers will explain the history of this family-run wine estate and its fine wines, produced using biodynamic winemaking techniques.

With its perfect blend of relaxation and escape, the Château de Noirieux offers a first class welcome and an opportunity to sample the finer things in life. Your stay is sure to be filled with some delicious discoveries!

The Alexandre restaurant – in the small town of Garons between Nîmes and Arles – has earned a reputation as a yardstick for bons vivants keen to discover a culinary and wine-growing heritage characterised by its finesse and originality.

Sophisticated cuisine, the best wines from the Rhône Valley, and an immersion in this region’s unique terroir: this is the winning combination that awaits you at the Hôtel Restaurant La Pyramide ****

If there is one restaurant you can’t afford to miss in the heart of the Roman city of Vienne, south of Lyon, it is the famous La Pyramide hotel and restaurant. This distinguished establishment is an iconic location in the gastronomy of France and the Rhône region, and maintains a long tradition of preserving the local terroir with a sense of passion and sophistication.

In an inviting and elegant setting, visitors can sample Chef Patrick Henriroux’s cuisine, a marriage of the traditional and contemporary, and also enjoy wine pairings that showcase the region’s wine production, such as Côte Rotie and Condrieu.

 

In Espace PH3, the hotel’s second restaurant, the menu follows an original concept governed by the rule of three: three starters, three main courses, three desserts… and the same applies to the wine selection!

But most striking of all is the establishment’s impressive collection of Chartreuse liqueurs, where the rule of three most certainly does not apply: this collection is a world first, with no less than 152 items! At the end of the meal you will be offered a chance to sample these precious liqueurs, accompanied by the expert advice of the restaurant’s sommelier.

While La Pyramide stands out for its keen desire to promote the flavours and heritage of the Rhône Valley, other activities nearby allow you to discover the riches that this land has to offer. These include: an excursion with a difference as you travel through the vines via Segway, a trip along the Rhône river and the former tow-path by mini-train, then climbing the terraced vineyards of Côte-Rôtie, or visiting the archaeological site of Saint-Romain-en-Gal. This Gallo-Roman museum stretches across 3,000 m2 and traces the history of vine-growing in the region during the Roman era… Heritage that you can’t afford to miss!

The Cordeillan-Bages restaurant – member of the “Grandes Tables du Monde” – takes you on a gastronomic journey of wine and innovative haute cuisine curated by its new Executive Chef, and lover of terroir, Julien Lefebvre.

Executive Chef at Château Cordeillan-Bages since April 2017, Julien Lefebvre is no stranger to hard work: the 35-year-old gourmet from Normandy also handles catering for the group Famille JM Cazes. The owners were instantly won over by his bold dishes made from tasty local ingredients.

He is passionate about French cuisine and enjoys embellishing his dishes by producing plates that are genuine works of modern art.

After working with Mathieu Pacaud at the Parisian restaurants Hexagone, Histoires and Le Divellec, Julien Lefebvre came to sample a slice of Bordeaux life, taking over the reins from two of the great names in French cuisine: Thierry Marx and Jean-Luc Rocha.

This passionate chef is a maestro at flavour pairings and takes pride in serving local terroir produce that he selects himself after meeting local producers. His hallmark: a respect for produce and a love of fish and seasonal vegetables...

“I like to promote the work of producers and act as a link between the product and our guests. ”

While all his food reflects the Médoc way of life, “Shellfish” are his true signature dish.

Visit the restaurant before mid-November to sample Chef Julien Lefebvre’s new menu.

Arnaud Le Saux, the discerning Head Sommelier at Cordeillan-Bages, reveals his wine pairings and discoveries... A journey through the world of classic, and unexpected, food and wine pairings

A native of Nantes, Arnaud Le Saux first discovered the world of wine during his studies at catering college. “I knew nothing about wine. I took a one-year vocational diploma, visited different places, met various people, and never looked back”. After these early days in France, followed by time in England and the United States, Arnaud Le Saux arrived at Château Cordeillan-Bages to take up the post of Head Sommelier in 2013.

He compiled his wine list for guests who come to explore the Bordeaux wine region. It contains over 1,500 different wines, from Bordeaux Grands Crus to an outstanding selection of wines from other regions, plus a special section for Champagne and Burgundy. “I adapt to suit different tastes but always include a selection of bottles that I’m keen want to share with others. ”

For this wine lover, a good wine is “a wine you want to drink again, as soon as you’ve finished your glass”; a great wine, is “one that delivers a particular emotion and makes a lasting impression”.

 

Attentive, always ready to explain wine in simple terms and talk to winemakers, who he meets on a regular basis, Arnaud Le Saux also creates food and wine pairings in perfect harmony with Chef Julien Lefebvre: “A good food and wine pairing is a question of balance. The wine shouldn’t alter the dish, and neither wine nor dish should overwhelm one another. ”

Wine lovers and professionals who would like to extend the experience can pick from one of the 1.5 hour tasting sessions organised by the Cercle Lynch-Bages: discovering the Médoc, the art of blending, great terroirs of Bordeaux, food and wine pairing, and more.

Or why not put yourself in the winemaker’s shoes and attend the VINIV workshop? You’ll get the chance to visit some of Bordeaux’s finest vineyards and produce your own wine from start to finish!

Discover this former 19th century hunting lodge with its huge parkland, situated in Onzain (between Blois and Tours), only two hours from Paris.

The Virginia creeper that covers the façade of the Domaine des Hauts de Loire gives the building the familiar feel of a holiday home in the country, the kind of second house where it’s a pleasure to come and recharge your batteries for the weekend.

And there’s no doubting that the venue’s quiet charm contributes greatly to making the Domaine des Hauts de Loire seem like a “patch of paradise” nestling in a green oasis.

This magnificent hunting lodge was built in 1860 on the Val de Loire Wine Route, in the heart of a region famous for its châteaux. The Domaine is surrounded by a 70-hectare park where the ponds — which are home to many birds — lie hidden in the green and fragrant woods.

Whether you’re on foot or on a bike, it is highly agreeable to follow the paths that cross the forest. In the shade of the trees, several benches invite you to rest awhile as you admire the beauty of the landscape and the spectacle offered up by nature.

More adventurous visitors might make their way to one of the three ponds, tempted by a spot of fishing alongside the black swans, guardians of the water.

For those interested in something more unusual, a visit to the Domaine Lamé Deslile Boucard, a Bourgueuil vineyard, is a must: here you can explore the highly original way in which the winemaker maintains his vines under the banner of eco-responsibility, using poultry to weed the land in complete freedom!

After a walk like that, it’s time for a tour devoted to fine cuisine! And the surrounding vineyards offer a number of different guided visits and tastings where you can discover the region’s best wines.

 

At the Domaine, the starred-chef’s table serves up the delights of Loire cuisine with a fresh twist and enhanced by a range of excellent wines, including the great whites of the Loire: Vouvray, Montlouis and Touraine.

And, if you like, you can even take a class with the chef and enjoy the fresh produce from the vegetable garden.

The comfortable rooms and peaceful, sunny terrace overlooking the plain and surrounding woods add the finishing touches to a moment of perfect relaxation, all offered by the Domaine des Hauts de Loire.

Nature lovers and anyone who appreciates the good life will undoubtedly be seduced by the attractions of this exceptional venue, a haven of peace where harmony and well-being are the order of the day.

Explore the real Corsica on this unforgettable trip created by Jean-Pierre Pinelli. Discover the Balagne wine region and its treasures, where visits and tastings await, set amidst a stunning landscape.

From Provence to the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, your trip across L’Île de Beauté, the island of beauty, will be one of wild landscapes, endless turquoise-blue water, heady aromas, memorable gastronomic and wine experiences, and locations packed with history and wonderful encounters.

Corte, Porto-Vecchio, Bonifacio, the Lavezzi islands: incredible locations for maximum relaxation. Your days will be busy, but your nights calm thanks to the most comfortable hotels and finest restaurants, carefully selected by the author of this Route du Bonheur.

“I want to share the deep passion I have for my island, and capture some of the beauty it has to offer...” - Jean-Pierre Pinelli, owner of La Villa Spa

 

Wine lovers take note: the route that bears his name takes you to Balagne, the magnificent Corsica wine region where Jean-Pierre Pinelli grew up, with its characteristic AOC CORSE-CALVI wines, mainly grown in the Figarella valley at the foot of the Calenzana commune.

You’ll encounter superb villages perched between the sea and the island’s highest mountains, where the thriving vine produces three noble grape varieties.

Vermentino, a white-skinned grape variety that produces dry wines; Sciaccarello, a dark-skinned grape variety that makes a typically Corsican wine; and Nielluccio, a red-skinned grape variety from Patrimonio, which produces denser wines with red fruit and violet aromas.

Visitors can taste these AOC wines at many of the wine estates. Properties such as Domaine d’Alzipratu, at the foot of Monte Grossu, awarded the Gold Medal at the Salon de l'Agriculture 2013 for its Fiume Seccu Blanc 2012 cuvée.

Or Domaine Orsini, on the slopes of Calenzana, where you’ll also some find tempting jams and delicious biscuits.

Treasure hunters, your quest is over: on the Route du Bonheur, L’Île de Beauté and its jewels await!

Olivier Nasti is a force of nature: holder of the prestigious “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” title, two-star chef at La Table d’Olivier Nasti, the restaurant at the 5-star Chambard hotel in Kaysersberg, and a fervent advocate of his local produce. His top picks speak of his love of both Alsace and his profession. Interview with an enthusiast...

How do you remain on top form? What’s your secret?

Nature. We work in a tough profession, with a punishing schedule. To charge up with the energy I need to get through the day I climb the peaks at Orbey, near Kaysersberg. It looks amazing in the snow!

Of all your recipes, which is your favourite?           

I’ve always worked with wild game in my restaurant, La Table d’Olivier Nasti. It’s a tradition here in Alscace and I’m a huge fan of this particular meat. It’s lean, and has lots of potential. I work with the entire animal, but with finesse and apply a light touch. Haunch of venison is delicious as carpaccio served with a wood sorrel mayonnaise. I also prepare a foie gras and black truffle pie with shoulder of venison, a recipe inspired by the final of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition. I serve it with a purée made with a Christine Ferber baerewaecka, a nod to Alsace, as well as mushrooms, spinach and a light sauce.

Which wine would you recommend?

With wild game, it has to be a red Pinot Noir from Alsace*!

 (Remarks taken from Zut magazine!)

 *Red Pinot Noir is one-of-a-kind in Alsace, a region renowned for its white wines. Fleshy, well-structured, with a delicate red colour and a taste of its terroir, Pinot Noir pairs perfectly with red meats and wild game. This is a tasting must!