On holiday with Julie

By Julie Roux

Fall is my favourite time of year to visit the south of France. The days are sunny and warm allowing me to continue wearing my favourite By Adushka Summer pieces happily into the fall season. Our yearly pilgrimage to the mediterranean is discovering local specialties. I found myself perusing the shelves of our local wine store when my eyes fell upon a bottle labeled Saint Roux, it wasn’t that it was a domain unknown to me that had me stopped in my tracks, it was the fun of seeing my last name on a bottle of biological wine. After my husband and I enjoyed a glass over dinner I wanted to learn more. What I discovered was a domain that was so much more than just a vineyard.

It’s evident that you are in for a treat when moments after parking the car you are greeted by the aroma of lovely lavender fields as well as the raucous sounds of bleating goats. Our first stop was the Chateau’s store as a family scavenger had been prepared for us. We were greeted by a friendly hostess who gave us a booklet with the guidelines and hints for our search. This would lead us through a tour of the domain and at the end, reveal a final treasure!

Our first clue led us to the ‘goat tower’. None of us were familiar with the term and were all impressed to see the goats observe us from this interesting structure. It was as if the goats had their own private domain to play and canter, clearly these were well treated animals. We learned from our guide this specific type of construction instills a better sense of play and happiness for the animals leading to better quality goat milk and cheese, but more on that later.

From there we wandered down to the ‘Potager’ which provides fresh, biological products for Chateau Saint Roux’s restaurant. Every Sunday, the head gardener takes visitors on guided tour of the garden providing insight to a beautiful array of the seasons herbs, fruits and vegetables.

The next clue left us blanketed in the delightful aroma of freshly baked bread. We were lucky enough to meet the baker who introduced us to the beautiful brick oven which yields daily doses of delightful doe. As with the rest of the domain, all ingredients used are organic.

Finding the large wine barrels was our last stop which, in all honest, held more interest for us parents than the children. As we collected our last clue and opened the treasure chest we were presented with a collection of treats to test our senses. Freshly baked bread from the oven we had just seen, a trio of goat cheeses and a sip of wine for maman and papa.

Strolling through the vineyard in Nina Leuca linen dress

Walking the gardens in Mul Olga dress

Tasting wine in the Mul Olga boiler suit