Plate of sheep feet with your wine? An unusual feast of local fare in southern France’s overlooked Cassis

The annual “Starry Grape Harvest” in this under-visited Provence town is full of surprises

Cassis is an unspoilt corner of the south of France known for its crisp white wines (Shutterstock)

The central trestle table spanned the entire length of the canvas awning, around which sat 30 men, women and children all studiously scoffing. Some were sampling cheese and saucisson, others drinking wine, while the most energetic were tucking in, at €7 a plateful, to pieds et paquets, a Marseille culinary speciality consisting of stuffed sheep’s feet and tripe cooked together in a rich wine and tomato sauce. It smelled wonderful. As to what it tasted like – well, I thought I would leave that for another day. I was eating later. At least that was my excuse.

The Les Vendanges Etoilées festival celebrates the local produce of Cassis (Cook and Shoot)

Here in southern France’s Cassis, this feast marked the third and final day of Les Vendanges Etoilées, a culinary and vinous jamboree which loses something in its English translation of “starry grape harvest”. It’s held at the time of the wine harvest in part to show off the celebrated wines of Cassis. And don’t make the same embarrassing mistake that I did and ask where exactly the Crème de Cassis is made. That’s a Burgundy liqueur that takes its name from the blackcurrants (cassis) and not the town.

Cassis wine, in fact, has the oldest registered AOC (designation of origin) in France, and is a crisp white that swims in the face of the rosé that’s all-conquering in the rest of Provence. Cassis is known for being fresh, full-bodied and possessing herby, almost marine notes, probably because its grapes are grown so close to the Med.

The region's top chefs take rare leave of their kitchens to give demonstrations at the culinary jamboree (Cook and Shoot)

A €22 all-in-one ticket for Les Vendanges Etoilées, this year taking place between 23 and 25 September, entitles the visitor to a plate of food and a glass of vino. You can then top up, at extra cost, as you see fit. The day before, local chefs – many with national reputations (these were the “stars” of the festival’s title) – had been persuaded to leave their kitchens and provide cooking demonstrations. Today, though, was just about eating and drinking.

Among the local produce vendors, I spotted mother-of-two Lou Moujou busy selling poutargue – salted and cured fish roe packed into orange-coloured slabs – alongside foie de lotte, a marinade of monkfish liver that’s known as the marine, and perhaps more ethical, foie gras. Another specialty at her stall was anchoïade au fenouil, an acquired taste for the unrefined English palate (imagine Gentleman’s Relish with a slightly fishier and oilier feel, and the consistency of smooth peanut butter), but Lou said her children were brought up on it: “When they were babies they preferred it to anything else.”

The harbour at Cassis, girded by picturesque pastel houses (OT Cassis)

Elsewhere, there were stalls selling ceramics, books – Le Canard, a culinary history of the duck by Philippe Tredgeu, was the most prominent - and cake, with pain d’épice, a sweet loaf made, as are local biscuits, with lavender appearing the most popular. The busiest place was, of course, the bar.

But it’s fair to say Cassis makes an excellent destination with or without its gala of gluttony. The town has that rare ability to appear unspoilt, attractive and alluring even at the height of summer when it’s a magnet for tourists and day trippers. Narrow winding lanes packed with pattiseries, épiceries, charcuteries, specialist boutiques, bars and restaurants (be warned, you’ll want to stop and study each one) lead down to an almost impossibly picturesque harbour, with yachts and boats slowly bobbing in a blue sea.

All this is framed by wooded hills beyond. Despite the shops and the restaurants, it lacks the obvious and more commercial aspects of, say, Cannes or Nice and appears less of a millionaire’s playground than St Tropez.

The art deco chateau at Clos Sainte Magdeleine vineyard, set between the Mediterranean and Cassis (Clos Sainte Magdeleine, Cassis, Provence. All rights reserved, 2016)

To the east, the landscape begins to rise, leading to the towering sea cliffs (falaises) that overlook the town. Cassis wine comes from a small group of dedicated winemakers such as Jonathan Sack, 38, a fourth generation vintner, whose Le Clos Ste Magdeleine vineyard clings to the vertiginous slopes of Cap Canaille, France’s highest falaise. There can be few vineyards with as dramatic a setting as this. Supplying the cherry on the cake is the family’s 20th-century art nouveau chateau finished in red and brown, which overlooks the sea and the town. Up to 2,500 visitors – with an increasing number coming from outside France – eagerly visit this vineyard every year.

The vines of Clos Sainte Magdeleine cling to the slopes of sea cliffs that plunge into the sea (Clos Sainte Magdeleine, Cassis, Provence. All rights reserved, 2016)

Down in the cellars of the main wine buildings, though, it’s all 21st century, with stainless steel vats and the latest fermentation techniques producing a wine that’s exported all round the world. The Japanese, Jonathan told us, were his latest and keenest customers. “It goes very well with sushi,” he said. We sampled wines that seemed to distil the sunshine and Mediterranean tang evident outside.

It’s also the perfect accompaniment for the seafood dishes available in a variety of bistros and restaurants that jostle for space overlooking the town’s sunlit harbour. Lunch saw us at one of those, La Poissonnerie (6 quai Jean Jacques Barthelemy, 00 33 442 171 56), which apart from offering an almost endless supply of excellent fish dishes also provides the town’s most memorable character.

The restaurant’s owner, Eric Giannettini, is the current head of a family of fish lovers and purveyors who moved here from Naples in the 1850s. A promising career studying biology in Paris ended when he came back to look after the family-run business. A superb English speaker (“I prefer the English to the French. They are more direct,” he says in his beguiling way), he is also a gifted raconteur. Having your meal cool slightly while you listen to him talk is a small gift to pay for such spirited and sparkling conversation.

Cassis is said to contain distinctive mineral notes as a result of its proximity to the sea (Clos Sainte Magdeleine, Cassis, Provence. All rights reserved, 2016)

A final impassioned speech recalled his contempt for the Parisian nouveau riche who, he declaimed, come to his town for their second homes but add nothing to the town’s character. He ended the speech with a JFK-like flourish. “One asked me what Cassis has to offer,” he said, failing to mask the disdain in his voice. “I said do not ask what Cassis can do for you, but ask instead what you can do for Cassis.” With that and the shadow of a smile lingering on his lips, he made perfect theatrical exit, stage left.

Getting there

John Clarke was a guest of Railbookers, (railbookers.com; 020 3780 2253), which offers a five-night holiday to Avignon and Marseille from £529 per person. They can also tailor-make your holiday to include car hire and excursions.

Eurostar (eurostar.com; 01233 617575) offers direct rail routes from London St Pancras to Avignon and Marseille, up to five times a week during the summer, from £54.50 one-way.

easyJet (easyjet.com; 0330 365 5000), Ryanair (ryanair.com; 0871 246 0000) and British Airways (ba.com; 0344 493 0787) offer flights to Marseille Provence Airport.

Seeing there

Les vendanges Etoilées (les-vendanges-etoilees.com) in Cassis forms part of Fête de la Gastronomie Provence (myprovence.fr/fete-de-la-gastronomie), which will take place in 15 locations around Provence between 23 and 25 September. Tickets prices range between €10-22.

Le Clos Ste Magdeleine vineyard (clossaintemagdeleine.fr/index.php/en) on the outskirts of Cassis is open daily from April to September for tours and tastings. Prices are from €12 per person, including two wines.

More information

ot-cassis.com