In Provence, each season has its own little traditions. Some are well known, such as the lavender harvest or olive picking. Others remain more hidden and are mainly passed down from generation to generation.
One of those special moments takes place every year on June 26.
On that day, the first green walnuts are picked to make a typical Provençal drink: walnut wine (vin de noix).
Why exactly June 26?
At Domaine Des Campeaux, it is an old tradition to pick exactly 26 young walnuts on June 26.
At this stage, the nuts are still unripe and soft on the inside. Their shells are green and their aroma is powerful and slightly bitter. This makes them perfect for slowly releasing their flavor into alcohol.
The nuts are carefully picked from the tree and lightly bruised so that their aromas can develop.
From green walnuts to nut wine
After the harvest, the real process begins.
The young walnuts are placed in alcohol, where they slowly infuse for four to five months. During this period, they release their deep aromas and dark color.
Patience plays an important role here: it is time that shapes the flavor.
Red or rosé wine is then added, along with lightly sweetened sugar water. The mixture is left to rest for a final month before being filtered.
What remains is a warm, dark drink with a full flavor that is sometimes reminiscent of an old port, but with a character all its own.
Patience makes the flavor
Perhaps the best thing about this ritual is that you can only really taste the nut wine the following year.
The drink needs time to develop. Over the months, the aromas deepen and that typical balance between bitter, sweet, and spicy emerges.
When the bottle is finally opened, you taste not only the nuts, but also a piece of Provençal tradition.
A small ritual from Provence
The day of June 26 is a small moment of attention for us every year.
It is a simple task—picking nuts, letting them steep, waiting patiently—but it tells us a lot about life in Provence.
Here, everything still follows the rhythm of nature.
From the first green walnuts in June to the lavender fields of summer and the olive harvest in autumn.
Discover Provence from Domaine des Campeaux
At Domaine des Campeaux, we share the small traditions of the region.