I don't often find myself drinking five glasses of wine at 10:00 a.m. …10:00 p.m., maybe, but these were extenuating circumstances. When you are standing in the middle of a beautiful Provençal vineyard being offered tastings of the farm's highly praised organic and biodynamic wines directly from the vintner…well, you don't say no to that, no matter what time of day it is.
It was an auspicious start to a lovely day spent (slightly tipsy) in Le Pradet, France, at the family egg farm and neighboring vineyard of our expedition leader, Alizé Carrère. This was an unusually personal outing for our group of nearly 100 guests and staff. While we are used to visiting high profile museums or spotting wildlife in remote locations, it's not often that we get invited en masse to enjoy a lovely day experiencing life like the locals do…enjoying good wine, food and the company of friends in a casual and intimate setting.
Alizé's father Frederic and stepmother Monika started their farm four years ago, and they now spend their days taking care of their 600 egg layers, who produce almost 200,000 eggs every year that are sold mostly at local markets, restaurants and schools. You can always buy the eggs directly from the farm as well…there's a cooler filled with eggs on a small table outside; just help yourself and leave your money in the unlocked cash box, they trust you.
100% free range, organic and humanely treated, the Carrère Farm's production methods are part of a growing localvore movement focused on quality, freshness and craft over mass-production and uniformity. Alizé's family (along with the family dog Demi, an adorable Cavalier King Charles who happily accommodated our effusive petting and cuddling) guided us through their egg farm, explaining the philosophy and methods of their approach. National Geographic Orion's chef, Lothar Greiner, was convinced…he brought 15 dozen eggs back to the ship to use for breakfast the following morning.
That same loving attention and sustainable methodology is shown by their neighbor’s Domaine de la Navicelle vineyard, which produces a relatively small run of 70,000 bottles a year of some of the best wine you will ever have, and I should know, I drank plenty of it. We were guided through the property by the wine master, Jannick, who explained that no pesticides or other chemicals are used in the production of their wine. Their wines are fully organic and biodynamic (the latter referring to a natural approach to agriculture developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner, also known for founding the Waldorf education model). The vines are nurtured and protected not by chemicals, rather by an herbal tincture spray made from natural ingredients such as dandelion and willow branch. To help the vines manage stress, they are sprayed with chamomile tea – I'm not kidding.
Our day at the farm ended in the courtyard of the old farmhouse whose original structure was built on the property by Alizé's great-great-great-parents in 1820. With French music playing in the background and after a personal welcome from the town's mayor, we drank more wine and enjoyed a selection of local delectables prepared, fittingly enough, by a neighboring chef. A colorful bounty of vegetables erupted from platters, along with a delightfully pungent olive tapenade, delicious ratatouille and aged ham sandwiches and a polenta, egg and bacon delight (made with Alizé's family eggs, of course).
The piece-de-resistance was the anchovy aioli, which has earned a spot high on my personal list of best things I have ever tasted. Its bright green color led many of us to assume it was a version of guacamole, but in fact, there were no avocados in it at all. After eating far too much of it, I asked the chef for the recipe, which he happily provided. It was symbolic of the friendly, welcome and open reception we were given by Alizé's family and the Le Pradet community. This was a very special and memorable day for all of us.
Anchoiade
(Makes 19 servings. Must be chilled for at least two hours before serving.)
Step 1
Blend together:
500 grams of anchovies
50 grams of garlic
70 grams of parsley
Step 2
Slowly blend together until thick
250 grams of chilled egg yolk
600 grams of chilled olive oil
500 grams of chilled sunflower oil
Stir all of the ingredients together. Serve as a dip with vegetables and/or bread sticks. Try not to eat too much…I dare you.
