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In France, he explained, most everyone for distribution. The times are changing, Michael explained that the now 35-acre
drinks wine, most at every meal. They though, as a new tech-savvy generation vineyard was owned by the Albizzi fam-
open the bottle, pour it into a glass and if of family members takes charge and ily who settled in the area in 1523. The
it tastes OK they drink it. This suited my turns to social media, tasting room sales family was a powerful dynasty in Flor-
world view of wine perfectly: If it tastes and wine clubs. ence, in the same league as the Medici.
good, I like it. Our host, François Dumon, was a direct
Our schedule was to visit four wineries descendant of Florentine family. In my
According to our guide, most French and scenic highlights along the way with mind’s eye, I expected a sort of gentle-
winemaking operations don’t have for- a lunch stop at a nice bistro. The idea was man’s farmer sporting French design-
mal tasting rooms. Retail marketing to visit a diverse cross-section of winer- er causal togs a la Lord Grantham in
doesn’t rank high there, unlike the ma- ies, small and large. After a short hop on “Downton Abbey.”
jority of small wineries in America where the freeway we headed west on the Route
wine tasting rooms and wine clubs pro- de Crêtes toward the beautiful French As we pulled into the driveway bracket-
vide significant income. French wine- coastline north of Toulon to our first des- ed by rows of gold and red vines float-
makers focus on farming the land and tination in Cassis, Clos d’Albizzi. ing in a sea of dainty white flowers, a
hand off their products to middlemen tall man dressed in blue mechanic’s

64 Wine Dine & Travel 2016