biodiversity

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Climb every mountain - Mont Ventoux

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Climb every mountain - Mont Ventoux

Being situated in the Mont Ventoux UNESCO World Heritage Site means the mountain looms large in La Verriere’s outlook. Standing separately from anything nearly as high around it, Mont Ventoux is called the ‘Giant of Provence’ and is credited in some circles as being part of the start of the Renaissance era and by most people as an incredibly hard stretch of the Tour de France. Seeing this majestic and infamously windy mountain every day made us curious about it so here are some of the most interesting things about it:

The Lavender of Provence

The Lavender of Provence

Provence is a region famous for wine as we well know but it is equally famous for growing another highly desirable crop, lavender. The lavender fields of Provence are legendary for their beauty and amazing scent. Growing lavender in this region is so established that lavender is perceived as the scent of France but the lavender oil produced here is sold all over the world. Many of the visitors we have here at La Verrière enjoy our own lavender, but they also visit the larger lavender fields and we feel it is a real source of pride for the region so here is a little more about lavender in Provence.

Eco Friendly Provence

Eco Friendly Provence

As a very eco-conscious establishment, we at La Verrière are always interested to see what other environmentally friendly incentives are going on in our local area. Thankfully, France is very good at pushing for green energy production, reducing energy usage and lowering its environmental impact all round but we were delighted to find that our region is particularly good at this with some interesting and innovate projects.

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Why Sustainability Doesn’t Need to be Utilitarian (Even in a Priory)

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Why Sustainability Doesn’t Need to be Utilitarian (Even in a Priory)

Sustainability is sometimes associated with living simply and austerely. This is not the case at La Verrière.

Our goal from the start has been to preserve the integrity and history of the abandoned medieval estate and its prehistoric terroir, while enhancing its exceptional character with sustainable, organic and biodynamic practices - in the priory, in the vineyard and in the winery. Since we began renovating the property in the 1990s, we have worked hard to restore and protect the delicate ecosystem that existed long before the Templars farmed the land in the 9th century. We are located high up in a mountain saddle within the heart of the Mt Ventoux UNESCO Biosphere Reserve completely isolated, with no neighbours or contaminants, creating a perfect laboratory for pioneering practices that forge new thinking about caring for our surrounding nature, our planet and our health.