the île de porquerolles: domaine de l'île, domaine perzinksy & domaine de la courtade

I sometimes worry I come across as too principled. I so rarely get invited on press junkets. I suspect many PR people imagine me to be a saber-rattling natural wine radical who, if cornered on a cliff's edge by LVMH regional sales managers, would sooner jump than appear in their selfies.

In fact, I quite like playing the shill now and then. I have no trouble appearing gracious and amused when plied with free things. So it was that I recently enjoyed a splendid trip to the Île de Porquerolles the other day, organised by the Côtes de Provence AOC in conjunction with a Lyonnais press agency called Claire de Lune.

The Île de Porquerolles is an island south of the Provençal town of Toulon. Formerly a private island belonging to the industrialist François Joseph Fournier, who purchased it in 1912, Porquerolles was bequeathed to the French state in 1985, and today is home to three wineries: Domaine La Courtade, Domaine Perzinsky, and Domaine de l'Île. "There are three domaines on the Île," explains Domaine Perzinksy oenologist Richard Auther, "And we have three completely different styles."

summer's last rosé: le garde robe, 75001

There ought to be a term - possibly Italian? - for the relief a frustrated professional experiences upon entering an environment where he or she feels, at last, understood by his or her peers. I get this when I walk into a restaurant or bar or cave and see those subtle, reassuring hallmarks of a Place That Gets It - e.g. evidence a market-based menu, or Junipero gin on offer, or, as in the case of Le Garde Robe, a superb wine bar in the 1er, the presence of a brilliantly offbeat rosé like Jean-Luc Poinsot's 2007 "Antiboul."