How a solo trip to Marseille lead to a serendipitous wine discovery that I will never forget
The South of France is a state of mind – the rolling lavender fields, the Cypress trees looming over the villages, and of course the wine. It’s a mindset, an almost mystical ideal. With an unusually rainy and gray Parisian summer, I needed to escape to the sun and beach, and to taste this magic of the South of France for myself.
One evening in August, I bit the bullet and booked train tickets to Marseille Saint Charles for that weekend. I was going to the South of France!
I arrived at the train station and as soon as I walked out, it was a coup de cœur. The famous Mistral was blowing and I was greeted with a stunning view of the city and the famous Notre Dame de la Garde basilica. There is a beautiful staircase that takes you down to a bustling street filled with cafés, locals, and tourists. I instantly felt that Mediterranean feeling, and the city even reminded me a bit of Rome. It was definitely grungier than Paris, and more chaotic, but the chaos was exhilarating. It felt so alive compared to the dormant Parisian streets of August – desolate and awaiting the mass return from the holidays in the campagne.
I dropped off my bags at the apartment and immediately went to explore the centre ville and test a coffee shop that came recommended to me. A friend had recommended three, but for some reason I gravitated more towards DEEP Coffee Roasters, a small coffee shop which nestled in a corner near the Vieux Port, tucked away from the famous La Canebière.
I was waiting to order when I noticed a girl around my age in front of me in line wearing a tote bag from the Merci store in Paris, which I recognized. Normally I’m not one to strike up a conversation with total strangers, but the solo traveling had given me a newfound confidence.
Before I knew it, we were sipping our cappuccinos outside gabbing like two old friends. Antonella, Toni for short, lives in Amsterdam and was traveling alone as well – turns out we both had caught the escape-to-Marseille bug. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the coastline, went to the top of Notre Dame de la Garde, and of course sat down at the Vieux Port for apéro.
Later that evening we were searching for one last spot to have a drink before calling it a night. We wandered around for a while but nothing really spoke to us, until we began walking towards Le Panier, the oldest quarter of Marseille turned one of the trendiest, adorned with vibrant street art and plenty of bars and restaurants. Its soft glow and good energy attracted our attention, and we sat outside on the terrace. The sommelière greeted us with such warmth, and was so happy to have us discover their wines. The bar has a similar concept to my favorite wine bar in Paris, the 11ème Domaine – no set wine list, just a circulation of ever-changing, great bottles of wine.
The bar, Les Lumières, doubles as a coffee bar/wine shop that stays open all day. They truly do it all, and it’s run by mother (sommelière) and son duo from Venezuela. The son, who runs the coffee portion of the bar, has lived in France for a while. Oddly enough, he used to be the manager of DEEP Coffee where Toni and I met earlier that day. His mother was a sommelière in Venezuela but due to the growing demand for natural wine, she moved to France to learn more about the natural wine program and bring back the knowledge to Venezuela.
The whole team was so warm and welcoming that we never wanted to leave. We almost didn’t! What began as one drink before bed turned into 2, a few of their deliciously crafted homemade plates, lots of laughs and conversation, and taking a bottle of rosé to go. With amazing music, a friendly environment, and delicious food and wine I just can’t say enough good things about this place.
What I drank
In addition to the cuvée I tried at the wine bar (Domaine de Pierredon Le Pape Noir), the next day I popped open the bottle of rosé I had purchased. Lave Grise, or gray lava in English (how badass) was a natural rosé by vigneron Jean Maupertuis. Ex-IT specialist turned natural wine maker, Maupertuis is based in the Auvergne region of France, where gamay reins. He farms respectfully and without chemicals, and respects the typical natural winemaking process (spontaneous fermentations, no fining or filtration, no oenological additives). The wine had a beautiful, bright salmon color and notes of candied grapefruit and a hint of citrus peel. Lave Grise is made from 100% Gamay and paired perfectly well with the stunning Marseillais sunset view from the terrace of my Airbnb.
I just couldn’t stay away from Les Lumières, so the next morning I went back for breakfast, which was equally delicious.
Marseille was magical, Mistral and all, and this beautiful discovery of a wine bar was definitely part of what made my special trip here so memorable. À bientôt, Marseille.
The Younger Wine 