Ha ha... Where to begin with this one! Have been watching for a Maison du Vin during our travels through Provence. There are SO many wineries in the region, it's simply impossible to know where to begin. This place has a nice selection (along with other delicacies of the region, such as olives and dried sausage) but they clearly specialize in the Cote du Rhone wines of the immediate region, and those were the only ones available for tasting today! I made the mistake of asking the man behind the counter (in French!) if he spoke English. "Non!" I asked a couple more questions about wine-tasting in truly atrocious French! I mean... horrific! He immediately became very helpful and helped us navigate through the store a bit. I was able to communicate (God knows how!) that, in addition to the nicer bottle we purchased, that I also needed a couple bottles of Tuesday Night wine (pour le soir Mardi! Moin cher!! SVP) Less expensive please. He got it, and immediately pointed us to the ones that were more fruit forward, and those with more tannins. He asked what we were doing there and I told him, "I'm here to learn French." This pleased him quite a lot, and he made sure we sampled the grapes on the terrace before we left. (Which were delicious, by the way.) We came away with a couple nice wines (I think) and a bit more streetwise (He told me in French, "Don't ask if I speak English, tell me in French 'Je suis Americain' and muddle your way through!) "Yes sir." He also gave us a nifty map of the wine growers in the region! :) We've visited a few of these places over they year. This one was a bit overwhelming, but we got through it! A good experience by the time it was over!!! read more