Château la Coste

The logo of Château la Coste

Do you have a love of wine? Do you have a love of architecture? Do you have a love of art? If you answered yes to all three of these questions then you need to visit Château la Coste near Aix-en-Provence.

In this winery one has the unique opportunity to visit acres of grapevines while winding through an outside museum of sorts. Included in this ‘museum’ are sculptures created by various artists following a variety of themes.

Vines covered in snow

Château la Coste had the wonderful idea to combine art, architecture and wine on their property of over 125 hectares. Throughout the year one can explore the woods, hills, vineyards and olive trees and see the different seasons evolve in the beautiful region of Provence.

I got to visit this winery under rare conditions: a layer of snow covering the vineyards that made it seem even more magical.

A view of the vineyard covered in snow

We decided to take the balade and explore the sculptures dispersed throughout the vines despite the snow, and it was definitely worth it. It seemed a little daunting at first, especially upon first view of the map with sculptures on complete opposite sides of the vineyard.

Map of the balade

However, once we started walking, we quickly warmed up and it was fun to see the creative ideas that went into each of the unique sculptures.

There are more than 15 sculptures scattered around by artists such as Franz West, Frank O Gehry and Tom Shannon. My favorites were ‘Drop’ by Tom Shannon, which reminds me a lot of the bean in Chicago, and ‘Crouching Spider’ by Louise Bourgeois.

‘Drop’

‘Crouching Spider’

After the walk around the vineyards, we headed towards the wine-tasting room. Château la Coste offers a great variety of wines, including rosés, whites and reds. They also have their own olive oil for sale.

I decided to stick to the wine and, after tasting a few of the delicious varieties, ended up buying a nice red one that we drank later that night with a traditional tartiflette.

One of the sculptures

The idea of Château la Coste is unique and a great way to attract people who are interested in more than just wine. It can turn an hour of wine-tasting into an afternoon of exploration and adventure, with wine-tasting included. It is definitely worth the short drive from Aix-en-Provence.

If you would like more information or to plan a visit, view their website Chateau la Coste.