4 fortified specialists in Provence, editor-picked by Cork & Curve. All Provence nightlife.
Muscat du Cap Corse pours at Maison des Vins de Bandol ★ 4.0
Le Castellet (Bandol) · 238 Chemin de la Ferrage, 83330 Le Castellet, France
The Bandol consortium's oenotheque at Le Castellet, with fortified Muscat pours alongside the appellation's Mourvedre roster.
Tip: Ask the staff for the comparative pour: Beaumes-de-Venise Muscat (Rhone) alongside Muscat du Cap Corse (Corsica), the two southern French sweet-wine references.
Marc de Provence and eau-de-vie at Chateau Pradeaux ★ 4.1
Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer (Bandol) · 676 Chemin des Pradeaux, 83270 Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, France
Chateau Pradeaux at Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, where the family's Bandol range includes Ratafia and an estate eau-de-vie de marc.
Tip: The Pradeaux Marc is the regional after-dinner pour; ask the cellar for the Ratafia tasting to compare the sweet aperitif with the dry marc.
Pastis flights at Maison du Pastis Marseille ★ 4.2
Vieux-Port (Marseille 2e) · 108 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille, France
A Vieux-Port specialist with more than 80 pastis bottlings, the canonical place in Marseille to taste the regional aperitif side by side.
Tip: Order the comparative three-pastis flight to taste the difference between Henri Bardouin, Ferroni and the local micro-distillers; the local rule is five-to-one cold water.
Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise pours, southern Rhone ★ 4.0
Beaumes-de-Venise (day trip) · Maison des Vins, Place du Marche, 84190 Beaumes-de-Venise, France
The southern Rhone fortified-wine village two appellations north of Provence, with the Maison des Vins as the main tasting access for Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.
Tip: Pair the Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise tasting with a stop at Gigondas the same day; the two southern Rhone villages sit minutes apart.