It is Sunday, and to the markets I go... First, I heard that the antique market in Carpentras is one of the best around because it is more for locals and there are the best quality antiques, deals, etc. I have never been to the town, so it seemed a great idea. Plus, I had attended the market in Villeneuve on Saturday morning, and I felt a bit defeated. I did snag some cool cheese knives, but walked away from some cool stuff...It is hard for me to speak simple French, so negotiating with an antique dealer over a cork screw is a daunting idea, so all too often I walk sheepishly away without even trying...I hate to admit it.

Last night, I shared dinner with Amaury, the owner of the apartment that I am renting in Avignon. (If you are traveling to Avignon, you absolutely must rent this studio apartment.) Okay, I digress for a moment, but seriously, I have to tell you about this place. Occasionally, when you travel, you come across a magical connection, and I had the good fortune of having that in Avignon. Amaury and Gilles bought the property two years ago and renovated beautifully. They are both gifted artists, interior designers, and they are two of the most gracious and generous people I have met. I feel as if I am visiting friends, though I have all the privacy of my own apartment.

Okay, so the boys told me what I should pay for the items that I wanted, and I went this morning, well educated and confident...and I scored!

I got each of the items hat I hoped to return home with: an interesting image of Avignon, a special cork screw, and a super cool salt container for my kitchen counter- it is my only spice;) None of these are expensive or super unique, though there were not a lot of any of these in the market. Each dealer was willing to negotiate a little, so I payed less for each than I had been instructed to pay, which left me a few dollars for lunch, thankfully:)

All that intense shopping left me a little hungry, but Carpentras is completely closed on Sunday, so I headed to Ilse sur la Sorgue, another fabulous antique town that has a fantastic market on the weekends.

I love this little village and have stayed here before, so its familiarity was comforting. I walked through the market, with its mix of food, produce, clothes, wine, antiques, and complete junk, and had a blast watching people shop. I was not tempted, had already done my damage, but was seeking the perfect lunch, and I found it.

Salade de gourmand at Le Balade de Sauveurs was just what this exhausted shopper needed. This is a salad served beautifully on a slate square, so it is visually attractive, but everything also tastes fantastic.

First, a puree de chevre, fresh, light, and creamy, with a drizzle of tomato reduction, fresh tomato slices with mozzarella ( the cheese is nice, though the only thing on the plate that is not exciting), a pile of fresh mixed greens with jambon be bayone, with a sweet white vinegar dressing, so the salty quality of the ham and sweetness of the vinegar are in oerfect dialogue together. Then there is a large round cracker with a salmon tartar, that is incredible. It is again, that balance of sweet and salty, perfect, with carmelized onions and a spoonful of a whipped pistou...creme de pistou? I have to figure out what this is, beacause it tastes amazing.

The salad combines the flavors of fresh vegetables with sweet caramelized onions, salty jambon be bayon, and a light fresh vinaigrette with just a touch of honey--all the flavors of the market. I had a glass of rosé from Beaumes de Venise with it, and it was perfect, matching the freshness, touch of sweet, and adding a bit of citrus pith on the finish that cleanses the palate so you are ready for that next bite of yumminess.

I am so pleased to say that I have been so busy that I have not had time to write, so I will fill you in on my travels, as I sit and enjoy a little late lunch in Avignon.

To start, I have some tasting notes for you. On Thursday I visited Sang de Callioux in Vacqueyras, where I met Serge, the owner and wine maker and tasted his white and reds.

This is Serge. Yes, his is gregarious and welcoming, and his Wines are fantastic.

I met with Serge at Sand de Callioux shortly at 10. It is impossible to be precise here, timewise, when you are driving on country road, and you have no idea were you are going. Okay, I say you in that loose, it must happen to everyone kind of way, but I mean me. I think my phone wanted me to take the scenic route this morning; it seemed to have in mind for me a long, meandering beautiful drive in the countryside, but it was kind of a circuitous route, to say the least, but I was supposed to get to the tasting...beautiful, I will admit, but long story short, I was late.

Serge is a jovial wine maker, who came to to door with a smile and a laugh. His English is very good, and when I told him so, he smiled wider, spreading his already impressive handlebar moustache from cheek to cheek, and he said, "of course." He is proud, though quietly so, of the small size of his winery and the quality of his wines. When I asked to see, he said, admittedly with some surprise, "it is not much, okay." And, it, indeed, it is quite simple by comparison to Vieux Telegraph, though they have all the same stuff, just on a different scale.

He showed me where the work is done, and explained they had finished the harvest and were on to start the pressing. And, he, too, is confident that this is a very good vintage beacuse the weather was good, though he admitted yields were a bit smaller than usual. He said that he is eager to see how the 2011 will turn out, but it is another year in the barrel before we will know. He recommends waiting 3-4 years before drinking the wine after it is in the bottle, though he likes it also young, but it is best after some time, and will conitnue to age well for another 8 years or so. Can we be that patient? I am going to try to begin to buy with the hope of holding on to some for all of you, but that is inadvisable, I sure, according to me accountant!

We tasted the 2011 White, which is a blend of Bourboulanc, Clairette, Grenache, Rosanne, Marsanne, and Viognier. It is a interesting, complex white, as I have been experiencing, though lighter in body than I expected, lots of acidity and a lot of minerality. As Serge pointed out, it is almost salty. I should have bought a bottle! It is delicious, not yet in my shop, but, I hope it will be Then we tasted two of the 2010 reds, the first (he has three, one for each of his daughters) is a blend of 70% grenache, 20% syrah, and 10% mouvedre, cinsault, carignon, but all the vines are 30 years old, roughly. The second wine, an old vine wine, from vines that are 60-75years or older, is 75% grenache, 25% syrah, that is it, and it is dramatically different from the last. Both wines are balanced, and have some similar flavors, but the body is different, there is more structure, more finesse, more power in the old vines cuvee. The young vines wine has a certain fresh character, it is a bit fruitier, but not as flavorful. It is so interteresting to taste them side by side. I like them both. Only the old vines is currently available at the shop, and I will happily point it out to you next time you are in...or when I return;)

Au resevoir Serge...merci bien,à bientôt!

This visit reinforced my excitement for the 2011 vintage, for which we have only begun to see the whites. What I have tasted is all so promising!

In fact, I am sipping on a great local 2011 rosè while I write this, and the quality, for a simple house wine is so good. The wine easily handles the acidity of the salad because it has its own sufficient acidity, along with a lovely texture, richer than a Provencal rosè, the pink wines of the Vaulcluse are more grenache and syrah, and have a bit more body and weight. So, for me there is creaminess, that I typically find in a more expensive wine. Perfect afternoon in the sun:)

I will continue my tasting notes on my next post...from Lirac!