Wines and spirits Pourrières

This family business, now run by Hélène Dragon and her husband Frédéric Arnaud, has been certified High Environmental Value (HVE) since 2019. It produces 4 AOP Côtes-de-Provence, Côtes-de-Provence-Sainte-Victoire and IGP Var vintages on about 20 hectares. On plots outside the PDO, varieties atypical for Provence have been planted; vinified as single-variety wines, they express their originality in vin de Pays du Var cuvées. The estate also offers its olive oil and regional products for sale at the winery.

Founded in 1912, this is one of the largest cooperative wineries in the Var in terms of production: its 130 winegrowers, almost all located in Pourrières, produce an average of 50,000 hectoliters of wine per year (HVE label). Côtes de Provence, Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire and IGP Var are available in three colors; the Terres d'Histoires and 1912 vintages in particular, are regularly awarded prizes. Adjacent to the cellar, the store offers a wide range of bottles and bulk wines, as well as a tempting range of delicatessen products promoting the Var region.

The vineyard is spread over several terroirs at the foot of the Sainte Victoire, on the southern slope next to Aix en Provence. Owner Jérôme Maillot has been practicing biodynamic viticulture since he set up in 2014, and has been certified Organic since 2017. He offers several wine cuvées, including a 100% Carignan noir red wine vinified without inputs and with a minimal dose of sulfites. He confides: "My orientation is to work the vines as close to nature as possible, with maximum connection to our environment".