Bergerie Sainte Victoire

La Bergerie Sainte Victoire is nestled in the heart of Provence, facing the southern foothills of the Sainte Victoire mountain (elevation 1011 m), and its south eastern Regagnas chain (elevation 716 m).
The farm has 8 hectares of productive land operating in the municipality of Peynier and is recorded under the local CAO (controlled appellation of origin) “Sainte Victoire”, Upper Valley of the Arc (river), in the Bouches du Rhône department, 15 km east of Aix en Provence, 34 km from Marseille.
Located 370 meters above sea level in the Provence hills, with access to 2.5 km from track and the other pathways in the scrubland.
The climate is Mediterranean, summers are hot and dry, winters are sunny and cold, it is especially comfortable in the cool half-season during spring and autumn, there are an excellent 300 days of sunshine per year.
Sometimes the area can experience cold winter temperatures, for example -8.5 ° C and -12 ° C in February 2005. The lowest recorded temperature was -17.4 ° C on 01/02/1963 and the summer temperatures have been known to exceed an extremely high 40 °C.
The farm does not use the public water or electrical services. Rain water is collected, and the electricity is generated on site by the photovoltaic (solar panels) and wind turbine.

The Saffron is grown in ideal conditions. The ground is stony, the soil is clay and limestone and the hillsides are exposed to full sunlight. On the terraces there are dry stony walls supporting a lanyard ground . The geographical location of terraces “Bancaou in Provencal dialect” are in a corridor of the famous local strong wind called “Mistral” and east wind.
The whole farm is fenced to protect against a range of predators (deer, wild boars, hares, rabbits, voles) and that allows sheep to graze safely and freely.

The “terroir”, ideal climate and environmentally friendly farming methods gives saffron Bergerie Sainte Victoire, color, aroma and unique flavor, of high quality.

What does “terroir” means?
“Terroir” is a French word which come from “Terre” the land.
The terroir represents characteristics of a geographical location: geology, history, know-how of local producers.
Thanks to these unique characteristics, each “terroir” offers unique food products and wines.