Articles by Susan Manfull

October 7, 2016 11

A TRIBUTE TO PAL, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MODERN TROBADORS

What is a Modern Trobador if not one who detects the scent of a story and, with nose to the ground, follows it through to the end? Like a dog with a bone, you might say. That was our Pal, our 15-year-old ever-faithful beagle who was with us on our sojourn to Lourmarin fourteen years ago and who has sat at my feet as I have written almost every story since the inception of this blog in 2008. She passed away today, I report with immense sadness.

Pal was an exceptional dog who touched the lives of many people. Pal, I think... [...]

October 1, 2016 8

WHO’S THE FACE BEHIND “LOURMARIN, LOURMARIN”?

If you follow what’s happening in Lourmarin, the charming village at the southern base of the Luberon where the Manfull family has been hanging their hats for many years, you’ve no doubt seen something about “Lourmarin, Lourmarin.” Have you wondered what “Lourmarin, Lourmarin” is? Earlier this year, it started popping up on FaceBook and Instagram and I, for one, wondered what it... [...]

September 25, 2016 10

STOMP SOME GRAPES IN PROVENCE

If you are in Provence and looking for something different to do—in between touring Roman ruins and visiting hilltop villages—I’ve got the answer: Kick off your shoes, climb into a huge oak barrel filled with grapes, and start stomping. That’s what Provence WineZine photographer Pamela O’Neill and I did earlier this month when we visited Les Pastras, an organic farm, located in the southern part of the Luberon, most known for their truffles. We had a ball, not to mention felt a little like Lucille Ball in her iconic I Love Lucy episode about her adventure stomping... [...]

September 20, 2016 12

DOMAINE SAINT ANDRIEU IS WELL WORTH THE DRIVE UP THE HILL

Deep in the heart of the Var, north of Brignoles, and a wee bit past the tiny predominantly organic village of Correns, there is a long and winding road just off the Grand Rue (also called the D45). Soon after making that turn, on to Le Collet de Recoux, that [...]

August 14, 2016 2

GARLIC IS IN THE AIR…IT MUST BE AÏOLI TIME!

When the weather gets hot, our mortar and pestle becomes a fixture on the kitchen table. The familiar rhythmic sound of pestle-striking-mortar fills the air and the pungent aroma of garlic wafts through the house. Aïoli. It's aïoli time. The word, aïoli, comes from the French word for garlic--ail--and the Occitan word for oil—òli—the two primary ingredients in this deliciously simple Provençal dish. So ubiquitous is this sauce on tables in Provence that it is also known as... [...]

July 24, 2016 10

MARC CHAGALL AT THE CARRIÈRES DE LUMIÈRES: EXTRAORDINARY

The Carrières de Lumières defy description. One could say (aptly) that it is a multi-media extravaganza—about 100 projectors casting 3,000 images on walls as high as 14 meters, spilling onto the ceiling and the floor, and choreographed perfectly with music ringing out from about 25 speakers strategically placed within the 5,000 square meters of a former limestone quarry certainly qualifies as fantastic... [...]

July 19, 2016 8

THE STORY OF RÉGINE SUMEIRE’S “PÉTALE DE ROSE” ROSÉ

After I read the invitation to a winetasting of “Pétale de Rose” rosé back in spring of 2015, I was confused. The rosé bearing this name appeared to be made at two different domaines: Château Barbeyrolles and Château Tour de l’Évêque. Muddling the picture [...]

July 3, 2016 3

Château Saint-Maur Showcases Work of Storytelling Artist Marc Ferrero

Rod Stewart famously sang, "Every picture tells a story," and internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Marc Ferrero is creating artwork that really does just that. As leader of the "Storytelling Art" movement, he is bringing stories to life on his canvasses. For Ferrero, "the canvas [...]

July 2, 2016 2

CATCHING UP WITH THE PROVENCE GURU

Those of you who travel to Provence or fancy a trip sometime soon--or who are lucky enough to live here--no doubt are acquainted with the Provence Guru. The Guru--aka, Jamie Ivey--and wife Tanya traded their London lives for adventures in Provence that spawned four books, a glossy magazine about Provence, a market stall where they sold rosé, a pop-up rosé bar, and a blog. I caught up with Ivey at Café Gaby in Lourmarin last week to find out what was keeping him busy these days. And, I got some scoop... [...]

2015 Château Saint-Maur Cru Classé Clos de Capelune

May 30, 2016 9

A PRELUDE TO VISITING CHÂTEAU SAINT-MAUR CRU CLASSÉ: A TASTING OF THEIR LUSCIOUS TRIO OF ROSÉS

It’s official. Even though here at Chez Manfull, we’ve been enjoying rosé throughout the deep-freeze months of December, January and February, there is something about Memorial Day [...]

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