Easy Walks
Longer walks
All walks from Beaumes require the blue, IGN 3040 ET 1:25,000 Carpentras map. The TopoGuides booklet Le Haut Vaucluse is also referenced for a couple of the walks and the small map from the Office de Tourisme is useful for the immediate environs.. The booklet is also very good for explaining the walking grades and official, en route signage, pages 2 and 7.
Copies of the above, with other maps and guides, are in the sitting room desk drawer.
Click on the following for directions. All are circuits.
The church at Suzette
Day Trips
Aix-en-Provence
Avignon
Brantes
Cassis
Les Carrières de Lumières at Les Baux
Marseille
Montpellier (and the beach)
Séderon and Izon Circuit
Vaison-la-Romaine
Villeneuve lez Avignon
Wine Tasting
Beaumes de Venise is very much a wine community and is most famous for its Muscat which has held the Appellation D’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designation since 1943. There is also a Beaumes de Venise AOC red wine designated “Cru” since 2005 and there are very good, local rosé wines. The reds tend to be full-bodied and the Muscat is quite sweet, both great for the appropriate moment, but the rosé is “le vin quotidien” to help you through the summer heat.
The broader region is prolific in red-wines, with Grenache and Syrah grapes leading the way most of the time in the Côte du Rhone sub-regions. There are several AOC designated brews from the neighbouring villages of St Veran, Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Sablet and Séguret, from the broader Côte du Ventoux area around the mountain and from the famous Châteauneuf du Pape vineyards between Orange and Avignon.
Generally expect the ‘Caves’ to be open Tuesday to Saturday. Google is a less than reliable predictor of opening times, which seem to fall a bit more to the whims of the proprietors (especially during low season). If you do get to a vineyard and find it closed, never fear, just turn around and you will no doubt see another fifty-yards down the road.
The key words signalling a vineyard open to taster-tourists are, “Degustation à Vente,” and they are dotted all over road-side signs and town notice-boards. In most the tastings are free and all you are expected to bring to the table is a bit of knowledge about exactly what types of wines you want to taste. There are no apparent limits on the number you can try, though more than five or six might appear to be a bit indiscriminate! For the drivers – spittoons are plentiful and there is no shame in taking full advantage of them!
Some recommendations follow.