Vineyards on the Cote d’Azur are bounteous, as the mild sunny climate the region is blessed with, alongside the siliceous soils, which are permeable, stony and humus, makes it the perfect place to cultivating top-notch wine.

According to RedWine.co.uk, the annual production of wine on the Cote d’Azur is more than 160 million bottles, with almost 80% of this production being a dry, fruity rose, which the area has become most famous for.

Approximately 20% of the Cote d’Azur’s yearly production of wine is red, which are commonly fairly strong and full bodied. Only 5% are local winemaking is dedicated to white wines, which tend to be fresh and crisp, the perfect accompaniment for fish and seafood.

Despite the common belief that rose wine is a recent product of the winemaker’s art or is a mixture of red and white grapes, on the contrary, rose is in fact one of the earliest wines ever to have been made.

As the French government  imposes extremely strict laws about the making of wine in France, the highest quality wine carries a stamp of approval, known as the AOC (Appellation d’ Origin Controlee), which many of the bottles of wine on the Cote d’Azur possess.

Given the ubiquitous nature of wine on the Cote d’Azur, wine tours are common and popular throughout the Cote d’Azur and the Provence region as a whole, where wine tasting and winemaking courses take place throughout the year.

One of the biggest vineyards of the Cote d’Azur is the Chateau Sainte Roseline at les Arc-sur-Argens, which offers tours of the vineyard as well as the chapel and exquisite gardens adjoining the vinery.

Similar to gambling in Monaco, star-spotting on the Cote d’Azur, or eating some of the best of French cuisine in Cannes has become a luxury synonymous with the Cote d’Azur, wine and the making of it will never be separated from French Riviera life.

Wine and the Cote d’Azur is a post from: Façonnable Blog

Despite its petite size, Antibes, with is rich history dating back as far as the 5^th century BC when it was a Greek fortified town named Antipolis, and be surrounded by spectacular natural beauty, has been the location for many a romantic, adventurous and historical film and novel, with F. Scott Fitzgerald writing his first novel “This Side of Paradise” from the luxury hotel Belle Rives.

Despite retaining a pleasant tone of traditionalism, nature and history, Antibes also maintains an underlying sense of luxury and opulence, presented inextricably through the town’s luxury hotels, top quality restaurants, exclusive shops and the many elite and wealthy individuals who choose to either holiday or become residents of Antibes.

Meder Beauty Centre is one such luxurious trait of this stunning southern France town. Opened in 2009, this magnetic beauty centre has been a popular pampering hub for many a well-heeled visitor and resident of Antibes and the Cote d’Azur.

This exclusive beauty centre includes aesthetic medical consultations, a spa and beauty salon and was founded by Doctor Tina Orasmae-Meder, an internationally acclaimed expert in beauty treatments and cosmetic products. Dr  Orasmae-Meder’s love for the Cote d’Azur obviously influenced her decision to open her beauty centre in Antibes.

“Cote d’Azur may be the best place on Earth. I would like my centre to be more than just another beauty salon. People who like to look and feel young, who value the high quality of the products and impeccable service would find everything they need in Meder Beauty Salon,” states Dr Orasmae-Meder on the Meder Beauty Centre website.

From undergoing a non-invasive wrinkle treatment, to being pampered to a full body wrap in red wine, chocolate or Japanese green tea, to receiving an individual treatment protocol, Meder Beauty Centre situated in the mentally-stimulating yet scenically-relaxing town of Antibes, has to be one of the most perfect places on Earth to be pampered.

For more information on a receiving a pampering like no other, visit the Meder Beauty Centre website, at mederbeauty.com.

A pampering like no other – Meder Beauty Centre in Antibes is a post from: Façonnable Blog

Asides its obvious charms of affluence, stateliness and grandeur which attracts the aristocracy to the Cote d’Azur, the vibrant scenes of colour, diversity and life that attracts the artists to this luscious stretch of coastline, the region’s remarkable history, untamed wildness, traditional and medieval villages, a stone’s throw from some of the most infamously glamorous cities in the world, attracts many a writer to write about this remarkably unique region of southern France.

Take a look at three such writers, whose desire to put the Cote d’Azur’s many charms onto paper, led them to create three fascinating books about a truly remarkable part of the world.

Cote d’Azur Le Reve / The Dream

Cote d’Azur Le Reve / The Dream is a tribute to what has become known as the ‘golden years’ of the Cote d’Azur, from around the beginning of the 20^th century until the 1970s.

This book provides a fascinating insight into what attracted the world’s most elite to winter on the Cote d’Azur, focusing on Le Prince Rainer de Monaco and Le Pricesse Grace, Madame Winston Churchill Jouant au Tennis, Queen Victoria and Bridget Bardot.

The words are accompanied with some great photographs and illustrations of the magic of the Cote d’Azur during its ‘golden years’.

Provence Cote d’Azur, Claude Herve-Bazin

In this extremely well-written an informative book, Claude Herve, Bazin describes the Cote d’Azur as being a place where “From the bright yellow sunflowers to the purple lavender, from the ochres and terracotta of the houses to the Mediterranean Sea, every landscape is a work of art. The towns read like a history book of Europe”. Not only do we want to read the rest of this book but we want to drop what we’re doing, jump on a plane, and discover this intriguing place for ourselves.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Provence & The Cote d’Azur, Roger Williams

This visually stunning book could possibly be the perfect companion to explore this mesmeric region with. This great travel guide provides readers with comprehensive information about the best attractions, beaches, villages, walks and sites, with clear and detailed maps and some striking photography.

Why write about the Cote d’Azur? – Three of the best books written about the Cote d’Azur is a post from: Façonnable Blog

The city of Marseille on the Cote d’Azur is particularly laden with a vibrant patisserie scene, and one does not have to wonder far without being tempted by the scent of freshly cooked sweets coming from the many delicious food establishments the city is home to.

If your trip to Marseille does come attached by a dark desire to sample some of the finest sweet delicacies in the whole of France then you may interested in reading about some of the best places to satisfy yearnings for pure confectionary gluttony in Marseille.

La Boutique du Chocolate

In the heart of Marseille you will stumble across ‘La Boutique du chocolate” located in the city’s Design Centre. Upon this ‘chocolate art gallery’s’ shelves is row upon row of chocolate delights, from chocolate lunch bags containing chocolate sausages, to boiled sweets surrounded by an envelope of chocolate – Absolutely heavenly!

Confiserie Leonard Parli

French confectioner Leonard Parli takes the confectionary industry extremely seriously, hence the popularity of his confiserie. From jars upon jars of jams, chocolates, almonds and sweets on display, Marseille’s Confiserie Leonard Parli is not the place to head to if you are on a diet!

Le Four des Navettes

One of the oldest bakeries in Marseille, Le Four des navettes was opened in 1781 and has remained one of the most popular places to get a sweet fix on the whole of the Cote d’Azur! From chocolate-filled pastries, to sweets strewn with absinthe, a visit to Le Four des Navettes is a truly memorable experience!

Where to head to in Marseille for some pure consumption gluttony! is a post from: Façonnable Blog

Given that the town was fortified and defended by a young Napoleon Bonaparte combined with its prime position of the Med, it is hardly surprising that La Seyne sur Mer became and continues to be one of the most important shipbuilding centres in France.

Its long and lustrous culture of the sea is still very much at the heart of this pleasant southern French town, and its harbour, known as the Port of Bregaillon, remains one of the most picturesque points of the French Riviera.

Like many of the harbours on the Cote d’Azur and throughout the south of France, the harbour of La Seyne sur Mer is a popular spot for rich and elite boat owners to anchor their beautiful, luxury vessels.

Epitomising the intense exclusivity of harbouring one’s yacht in a harbour on the French Riviera, is the fact that Charles Siimonyi, the American-Hungarian billionaire and former boss of Microsoft, recently dropped anchor at the Port of Bregaillon in his grand and obscenely luxurious superyacht.

Simonyi’s yacht, known as the ‘Skat’, is one of the largest boats of its kind in the world, which, standing an immense 70 metres has a total of 20 staff on board. What is said to be the billionaire’s ‘pride and joy’, was built by Lurssen yacht architects, and, being so huge, is often mistaken as being a military vessel.

The Skat was the biggest known yacht to have ever docked at the small Port of Bregaillon, which has recently been renovated.

The former Microsoft’s stay at La Seyne sur Mer was short and sweet though, as no sooner has his super yacht had pulled up there to sort out some technical problems, it reportedly took off again, believed to be heading back to the Caribbean.

Epitomising the exclusivity of southern France’s yacht scene – Charles Simonyi’s superyacht docks at Port of Bregaillon! is a post from: Façonnable Blog

The Festival of Marseille is one such event, which has been referred to as being a “reflection of the city’s soul.” What is particularly spectacular about this annual event it is focus on appealing to a multi-faceted miscellany of cultures.

The inimitable reputation that the Festival of Marseille has built up for itself over the years for being uninhibited by boundaries, for being undaunted by touching upon the controversial, and for exploring the most cutting edge in art, culture, theatre, music and dance.

This truly remarkable festival never fails to attract the most highly acclaimed of artists and performers to engross themselves in a remarkable cultural experience.

This year the Festival of Marseille is taking place from June 9 until July 7 and promises to as culturally diverse and mind-opening than ever.

A mosaic of exhibitions will line Marseille’s atmospheric streets, the rhythmic sounds of theatrical performances will emerge from of Marseille’s buildings, in which quirky-looking doors will lure visitors to stop what they are doing and go and take a look.

Visitors will also be drawn to Marseille’s squares which are rapidly swelling in numbers as people gather to catch site of the many “cine-concerts” that will be projected onto large, open-air screens.

Some of the best choreographed dances one is likely to have ever witness will bring an even greater amount of life, vivacity and artistic complexity to this hypnotic event.

In a festival that is constantly reinventing itself and is increasing in popularity with each passing year, tickets for the festival’s multidisciplinary program of events remain reasonably priced, meaning the Festival of Marseille is by no means an event exclusively for the well-heeled visitors the Cote d’Azur has become notorious for attracting.

In fact it is the wondrous mix of all ages, ethnicities, cultures and class that makes visiting the Festival of Marseille such an unforgettable experience.

The Festival of Marseille – A multi-faceted miscellany of cultures is a post from: Façonnable Blog

Although now the Cote d’Azur’s outwardly indomitable popularity has been made ‘official’, since it was announced that the Cote d’Azur, along with Paris and the Atlantic coast trial Rhone-Alpes have been named as the best places in France to work and live.

The results of a survey, which was conducted by the recruitment firm Apec, were published on The Connexion, one of France’s leading English-language newspapers.

The survey interviewed young professionals living in France who said that the high standard of living and economic dynamism, made the Cote d’Azur, Paris and the Rhone-Alps, the regions of France where they dreamed of being based.

Although unlike the Cote d’Azur and the Rhone-Alps, which were on more than a quarter of the respondents wish lists as a place to live, many of the young professionals interviewed viewed Paris as number one for economic dynamism yet rated it down in terms of the cost of housing, levels of pollution, high unemployment rates and length of commutes.

The Cote d’Azur on the other hand, with its lack of pollution, low unemployment rates, high salaries, good infrastructure and public transport networks, remains one of France’s most desirable locations to live.

Cote d’Azur named best place to live in France is a post from: Façonnable Blog

In 2013, the city of Marseille on France’s exquisite Cote d’Azur will become the European Capital of Culture and it has been announced that the British architect Norman Foster will be renovating Marseille’s port ahead of the city’s 2013 accolade.

From designing Monaco’s ultra-glamorous yacht club, to designing the World Port Centre in Rotterdam maritime architecture, Norman Foster is no stranger to maritime architecture.

But how exactly will the legendary British architecture transform Marseille’s 2,600 year old port?

Working in collaboration with the French landscape designer Michel Designer and Emmanuel Dujardin, reports are emerging that the three architectural geniuses plan to make Marseille’s port more accessible to tourists and residents by pedestrianizing several of the lanes that run along the waterfront where a new sandstone promenade will frame the shore.

Talking about the project in a press statement, Lord Foster said:

“I know the port….I want to make it better.”

The 64 million Euro renovations are expected to take eight years, with the first stage of the project to be completed in just nine months, in time for 2013.  Renovating the city’s ancient port is just one of the projects Marseille council has planned in a complete revamp of the city.

Additional makeovers will include extending the Veledrome, which will also be re-roofed in time for the European Football Championships will be held in Marseille in 2016, extending the stadium’s capacity to 67,000.

The building of the Mediterranean Regional Centre, which will house a 450-seat underwater conference room, has also begun.

Norman Foster to give Marseille’s ancient port an innovative facelift is a post from: Façonnable Blog

These world-renowned French chefs opened their first restaurant, Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier, in 1988, which was quickly awarded in recognition for its elegant, creative Mediterranean cooking.

In 2000, the talented duo branched out onto an international stage, opening restaurants in Geneva, Casablanca, Paris, Tokyo, Bangkok and Marrakesh.

In Paris, the restaurant ‘La Maison Blanche’, located at 15 ‘so chic’ Avenue Montaigne, is perched above the ‘Theatre des Champs Elysees’, and provides a piece of heaven looking right across the Paris roof tops. Having taken Paris and pretty much every city in the world by storm, the Montpellier twin chefs are returning to the south of France and opening a restaurant in Cannes.

Named the Sea Sens, this super-chic new restaurant is located in The Five Hotel, one of the most luxurious hotels in the whole of Cannes. The restaurant’s lavish décor comprises of deck chairs beneath huge flower murals, whilst its decidedly exquisite menu includes Asian-spiced cuisine, Blue Lobster and truly delectable dessert creations, and a Sunday brunch that has been described as being one of the ‘best on the Cote d’Azur’.

Although despite the Pourcel twins’ international renown and experimentation with international flavours, the brothers are open about their love of the Mediterranean and its cuisine. Talking about what their cooking is all about, the chefs told Relais & Chateaux :

“Celebrating the flavours of the Mediterranean in the broadest sense with passion and enthusiasm. We are excited about all the countries around the Mediterranean coast – Spain, Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Morocco – and all of our cooking is based on one guiding principle: olive oil, tomatoes and spices. “Simplicity” and “product quality” are at the very heart of what we look for, and we rely on good producers, small farmers and exceptional fishermen and livestock farmers who offer us truly excellent ingredients”.

Sea Sens opens in Cannes – Chic, suave and so Mediterranean! is a post from: Façonnable Blog

For the last three centuries, Grasse has been considered to be the ‘perfume capital of the world’, an industry which today pulls in 600 million Euros a year and produces almost all over the perfume made in France.

Although Grasse has not always enjoyed being at the height of noble culture that it first experienced in the late 19^th century.  During the 1970s when the likes of St Tropez, Cap d’ Antibes, Cap Ferrat and Cap Martin were luring the world’s most affluent and elite to purchase lavish second homes to escape to in the winter, the town of Grasse had lost its patina.

Four decades later, the situation in Grasse could not be more different and the town has certainly returned to its former glory as being one of the most sought-after places on the Cote d’Azur to be seen in. Talking about the rise and demise of Grasse, Jill de Moleyns, who works for Riviera Estates said:

“It [Grasse] was where everyone wanted to come to because of its perfume reputation. Then the local council built a lot of cheap housing for the wave of North African immigration and people started to look elsewhere.

“But Grasse is getting back to the city it used to be. As the oldest part of the Cote d’Azur, Grasse has a fantastic, safe historic centre and the houses have great character.”

Its old narrow streets, lined with shops, museums and perfume factories, remain a hive of activity and attract more than two million visitors a year.  And the countryside surrounding Grasse is equally as magnetic, encircled by a handful of medieval hillside villages, such as Opio and Mougins, entrancing the likes of the legendary French actress Bridget Bardot and writer Marcel Pagnol.

This ancient town of Grasse may not the celebrity super-yacht reputation of St Tropez, but its character retains a magnetism that has survived the test of time.

The rise, demise and rise again of Grasse is a post from: Façonnable Blog