provence with WOODLAND WINE MERCHANT
OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
OCTOBER 14 - 20, 2026
After a wildly successful first trip with woodland wine merchant in 2024, we’re back for round two. this time - in the heart of provence!
October 8 - 14, 2026
7 Days, 6 nights
What better way to taste your way through some Rhône Valley wonders than in the stunning, insanely gorgeous Château Martinay? Will Motley and Jami Reid from Woodland Wine Merchant in Nashville, TN will be your guides for the week through wine tastings, developing your palates, and visiting some wineries that have that perfect Provençal flair. With unforgettable meals from the Reverie chefs, and unforgettable evenings with the hospitality fairies, you’re sure to have a week that will leave you wanting more and more.
From $6,750 USD
What will you do?
Experience an exceptional week of wine education in Provence with our well-vinified hosts from Woodland Wine Merchant, all while staying at the oh-so-elegant Château Martinay in Carpentras, just outside of Avignon.
Will Motley (owner) and Jami Reid (manager) will lead you through a deep-dive into the characteristics of wines from the region through multiple tastings, palate refining exercises, introductions to new cocktails with regional ingredients, and the ultimate test - blind tastings! You’ll learn to recognize key flavor profiles found in Southern Rhône Valley wines, and you’ll leave knowing exactly what to purchase off the shelf the next time you’re invited to a dinner party.
Each evening, our chefs will prepare ridiculous feasts filled with local ingredients, seasonal produce, house-made cheeses and breads, and magical flavor. It’s like eating at the BEST restaurant in France for every meal!
The Château Martinay offers a restful and inspiring setting for this culinary journey. You’ll find it nestled on 90 acres of lush lands with undeniable historic charm and tranquil surroundings. A perfect place to watch the sun set as you sip on the perfect glass of white. YUM!
This is a Reverie retreat you do not want to miss out on. We can’t wait to see you there!
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While we hope everyone will participate, all experiences are optional! Please feel free to take time for yourself whenever you like.
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Rêverie has carefully selected activities and experiences that we believe represent the best of the region and our own expertise, aiming to provide an optimal experience for the participants.
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Eating and drinking are communal! You’ll have the opportunity to cook food, taste wines and learn from experienced teachers. We can’t wait to welcome you for our workshops!
*To preserve the shared culinary experience we strive to create, we’re happy to accommodate vegetarians, pescatarians, and allergies. However, we are unable to tailor meals for additional dietary preferences or restrictions. If you have specific questions about your needs, feel free to reach out !
YOUR guest hostS
Get to know:
woodland wine merchant
We couldn’t be happier to partner with the folks over at Woodland Wine Merchant! They have been a true gem in the Nashville community, and are a favorite of wine lovers not only in our city, but across the country. Read more about the owner and founder, Will Motley, below.
Woodland Wine Merchant opened its doors in the summer of 2007 and added a second location in the Sylvan Park neighborhood in late 2020.
Woodland Wine Merchant has been voted Nashville’s Best Wine Shop by the readers of the Nashville Scene 15 years in a row, named one of the best wine stores in America by Food and Wine, and listed among the Southeast’s top wine shops in Garden and Gun magazine.
Meet your hosts!
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WIll Motley
Will Motley opened Woodland Wine Merchant in East Nashville after almost 15 years of experience in the wine industry. Will moved to Nashville in 1994 after graduating college in North Carolina and began his career in wine working at Nashville Wine and Spirits. After several years of studying wine and learning the retail side of the industry, Will’s wine journey continued in Sonoma, California where he spent three years on the winemaking team at Kenwood Vineyards.
Will returned to Nashville in 2002 and joined the sales team at one of Nashville’s fine wine distributors and spent 5 years learning the wholesale wine business while continuing to expand his knowledge of wine. While selling wine to many of Nashville’s top retailers and restaurants, Will saw an opening to bring a tidy, curated wine shop to Nashville focused on smaller, quality-driven producers from around the world.
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Jami Reid
Jami has worked for Woodland Wine Merchant for over a decade. Her love for the shop runs deep and she counts Will as a true mentor. She enjoys being a neighborhood “constant” and invites customers to discover new worlds through wine. In 2019, she moved to Chicago. She worked as a buyer and maître d’ at Red & White Wine and the attached bar Noisette. Then, during the early years of the pandemic, she worked as an assistant to industry titan Craig Perman.
She loves spending time in France and can’t wait to revisit the South as it holds a dear place in heart. To her, wine is about food and friends and she can’t wait to make both with you.
YOUR ITINERARY
*Please note that changes to the itinerary may occur between now and your retreat start date*
DAY ONE
WEDNESDAY 10.7.26
Welcome to France! Your first night will be all for you in the city of Aix-en-Provence, the heart and soul of the Provençal region. Our drivers will pick you up in the afternoon at the Marseille Provence airport and drive you inland to the city. You’ll find your room at the Hotel Saint Christophe, 4-star hotel in the heart of the city. After unpacking, you’ll have the rest of the evening to explore on your own. Dinner on your first night is not included, but we’ll have plenty of suggestions of where to eat (or how to order in if you’re jetlag sleepy!). all while soaking in the utterly charming atmosphere that Aix-en-Provence is known for. Your culinary adventure is just beginning!
DAY two
THURSDAY 10.8.26
After enjoying a French breakfast at the Hotel Saint-Christophe, our drivers will escort you to your dream home for the week - the Château Martinay. Our team will greet you and usher you to your rooms, and then the fun begins! Our team of chefs will serve you a delightful feast on the terrasse, and with filled-bellies, the afternoon will be yours to relax or explore. As the sun sets, you’ll join Liz Prueitt and your new friends for cocktails in the salon, followed by a welcome dinner and one of Liz’s fabulous desserts. Does…the perfect day…exist?
DAY three
FRIDAY 10.09.26
The Reverie team will start you off right with a tasty and generous breakfast spread, complete with homemade yogurts and jams, fresh seasonal fruits, and gluten-free breads. Following breakfast, you’ll join Liz Prueitt for your first workshop together, where she’ll introduce you to some of her gluten-free secrets, like blending your own flours and mastering the tricky gluten-free pastry crust. Then we’ll enjoy lunch in the sun, followed by another restful afternoon at the château. In the evening, join Esmé Curran of the Reverie team for a guided natural wine tasting where we’ll explore some goodies from the region. That’ll lead us straight to the dinner table with a gluten-free feast prepared by our team of talented chefs, and then we’ll meet you in the old kitchen for digestifs. Another good day in the books!
DAY four
SATURDAY 10.10.26
Saturday is market day, and this time we’re headed to the gorgeous city of Avignon, a UNESCO heritage site with its preserved city walls and gorgeous architecture. You’ll stroll through the market-filled streets on the hunt for the perfect seasonal fruits and veg, and make sure to stop for a café as the French do! Then we’ll head back to our château home for lunch before you join Liz for workshop number two - gluten-free cakes - where we’ll take a look at the French madeleine compared to a traditional sponge cake. And you know the routine by now - Cocktail hour, incredible dinner, digestif party, and off to bed!
DAY five
SUNDAY 10.11.26
For our last full day at the Château Martinay, Liz will lead a workshop focused on morning bakes - muffins, financiers, and simple treats that pack a punch. The rest of the day is yours for soaking up the sun and laughing with your new friends. We’ll end the day with an all-out-banger of a grill party, complete with bocci tournament, good music, and maybe karaoke? You never know! But do know that our chefs are masters of fire and that this will be a meal to write home about with tasty wines to top it off. Then it’s off to bed to rest up for our big day out!
DAY six
MONDAY 10.12.26
This is our official Big Day Out, and it wouldn’t be a visit to Provence without a proper wine tasting. We’ll head to the famed region of Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe for a Rhône valley wine tasting followed by a picnic in the vineyards prepared by your Rêverie chefs. To top off our culinary journey, we’ll make a stop at the Domaine L’Authentique to visit their olive groves, their olive oil mill, and taste our way through their delicious oils. We’ll head back to the château for an apéritif at the Orangerie followed by our final dinner party together, and who knows…maybe we’ll see the sun rise!
DAY seven
TUESDAY 10.13.26
Today, we depart from our home for the week and we soak up every last breath of the wide open air of the Provence region. Breakfast will be served and we will say our goodbyes as the vans arrive to shuttle us all away from Château Martinay and toward the Marseille airport so we can all make our way to our next destinations.
WORKSHOPS
French technique is the foundation for anyone interested in building or honing their classic baking and pastry skills, and Liz Prueitt is the perfect teacher to learn from. Having spent time herself in France during her formative years, Liz’s pastry style was inspired by the simplicity of France. After years of research, she is now able to share her knowledge of turning classic recipes into gluten-free treats. Join Liz in the kitchen to learn how to make all kinds of goodies. We’ll walk through comparing French and American pastry recipes, learning how to make things like madeleines, gluten-free pastry crusts, and creating your own gluten-free flour blends.
WORKSHOPS
Gluten-free flours - Liz will guide you in blending your own gluten-free flour to use as a substitue for classic pastry recipes
Cake day - using your gluten-free flour blend, learn how to make the simple yet perfectly delicious French Madeleine and compare it to other sponge cakes
Flaky pastry - turn a classic into sweet and savory treats with a flaky pastry dough
Morning bakes - diving into the world of simple quick cakes, Liz will show you how to achieve that tender crumb with a focus on nut flours.
EXPLORE
We can’t wait to show you around! You’ll begin your week at the 4-star Hotel Saint Christophe in Aix-en-Provence, where you’ll have the afternoon, evening and the following morning to explore the sweet little city. We’ll take a morning trip to the traditional outdoor market in Avignon, a UNESCO world heritage site. And at the end of our week together, we’ll head over to the famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a wine tasting, followed by a visit to the Domaine L’Authentique to visit their olive groves and taste their olive oils.
OUTINGS
One night stay at L’Hotel Saint Christophe in Aix-en-Provence
Shopping at the open-air market in Avignon
Wine tasting in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Olive Oil tasting at Domaine L’Authentique
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Everything! Well, everything except for your big ride across the ocean to the chateau’s nearest airport. But once you arrive, we got you.
Transfers to and from the Marseille Provence airport.
One night stay at the 4-star Hotel Saint Christophe in Aix-en-Provence with breakfast included
Please note that dinner on your first night is not included - you can eat dinner at the fabulous hotel restaurant, La Brasserie Léopold, or we’re happy to help you choose a place to eat in the city! All other meals for the week are included in your reservation.
All gluten-free baking workshops with Liz Prueitt and all associated materials
All Rêverie Chef-prepared meals at the château for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the duration of your retreat (all meals will be prepared with zero gluten)
All wine and beverages - unless you wanna have your own after hours party ;)
Private coach transportation while on retreat
All scheduled outings, tastings and events during our week
Château lodging, naturally
**Transportation (airfare or train fare) to and from the designated airport pickup point is not included in your reservation.
GETTING HERE
*Cost of airfare to the Marseille Provence airport is not included in the cost of your reservation. Please let us know if we can offer any support or guidance with your travel plans - we’re happy to help!
Airplane
Several planes fly direct to Marseille Provence airport (MRS) every day from Paris, London and other cities around Europe. We will arrange for an airport pickup on October 7th at 3:30 p.m. for a transfer to your hotel in Aix-en-Provence. If you arrive after the scheduled pickup, the Hotel Saint Christophe is about an hour drive from the airport, and we can arrange transportation for an additional fee. On October 13th, our drivers will pick you up at the Château Martinay at 10:00 am and will drop you off at the Marseille Provence airport at 11:30 am.
All you have to do is get to Marseille, and we’ll take it from there!
*If you choose to leave earlier than the schedule departure on the last day, we would be happy to help you arrange for a private driver for an additional fee.
Car
If you’re the seasoned-traveler type and you’d enjoy having your own transportation, then please - rent a car in Paris and drive down! Have a stopover in Lyon for some exquisite eating and make a pitstop at some Rhône Valley wineries for tastings. You could then keep your car for the week and choose your own destiny, or drop off at the Marseille airport on the first day of the retreat so you can meet our shuttle at the airport.
Travel Reservation
If you would like guidance with booking your travel to the Chateau, please reach out.
We are here to help make this part easy and smooth.
Extend your Stay
If you would like to extend your stay in France, we are delighted to partner with The French Travel, a locally owned and operated trip designer based in Paris. They are true experts who will help you perfectly plan your before and/or after Rêverie experience. Check them out for more info!
Train
Trains are another option for those who feel comfortable traveling around on their own! Please note that if you take the train to the Marseille train station, you will need to take a taxi or Uber to the Marseille Provence airport (20-25 minute drive) for our scheduled pickup time on October 7th at 3:30 pm.
Our friends at Coucou French Classes offer some incredible online French language classes - whether you’re looking to brush up on your high school French or looking to learn a few phrases to feel more comfortable with travel, Coucou French Classes is the way! Check out their website for more information.