Provence Marinaside Features Clos Cibonne in Cellar Series Dinner

Provence Marinaside is excited to present the latest winemaker dinner in its Cellar Series featuring the legendary wines of Clos Cibonne Cru Classé – custodians of the ancient grape Tibouren in an intimate dinner on Tuesday, April 15.

Located by the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of France, between Marseille and Nice, the winery goes back 400 years to Jean-Baptiste de Cibon, captain of Louis XVI’s Royal Navy and first owner of the vineyard. After his death in 1797, the property was sold to the Roux family whose descendants for the past five generations continue to own the winery. The Tibouren grape’s lineage is even more ancient – tracing its history back to classical Greece and perhaps as far in the past as Mesopotamia. “I grew up very familiar with the wines of the south of France. It’s a joy for me to share these flavours of my childhood homeland and introduce our guests to Clos Cibonne’s beautiful wines,” says Provence Marinaside Owner/Executive Chef (and native of Marseille) Jean-Francis Quaglia.

Limited to only 13 seats, guests will join special guest, Stefania Piacentin FWS, French Wine Scholar and Liberty Wines account manager representing Clos Cibonne while dining in the intimate surroundings of Provence’s private Wine Bar room. Guests will explore the renowned wines of the south of France’s Cru Classé winery of AOC Cote-de-Provence Clos Cibonne expertly paired by Wine Director Joshua Carlson with Provençal dishes designed by Chef Quaglia and Chef Richard Hondier.

“I have been completely enamoured by all things Clos Cibonne since my visit to ViniSud in 2016. Then, we carried both the Tibouren Rouge and Cuvée Caroline Rosé so I was excited to meet with Olivier, Claude, and Brigitte, proprietors and winemakers of their wines. Olivier was the only one who spoke English, although broken, and my French was also not what it is now. They shared with me a bottle of Cuvée Caroline Rosé that was from 2005. I had never conceived of what aged rosé should taste like, but I was blown away. If I had tried it blind, and blindfolded, I may have guessed it was White Burgundy or aged Greco di Tuffo. It was an “ah ha!” moment for me. I then became dedicated to age worthy rosé and the pursuit of all things Clos Cibonne,” says Carlson. “Clos Cibonne are champions of the Tibouren grape. Tibouren has fallen out of favour by Provençal winemakers due to its slightly orange hue it imparts in wine. Typically only used in blending, and in very small amounts, it never takes the spotlight, and never has a chance to stand alone. It also isn’t as productive as the fruity Grenache, savoury Syrah, or earthy Mourvèdre. It’s not as light pink and zippy as Cinsault, or as viscous as Rolle (vermentino). Instead, the little intense black skinned grape shows notes of wild herbs and pepper, light fruit, and even mandarin orange. The Tibouren grape has ancient roots that can be followed back to Greece and Mesopotamia. It was Julius Caesar’s favourite grape. I think he was asking Brutus if it was also his favourite grape shortly before his death. I have been wanting to plan this dinner for years. I try and work with all the wines available in our market and have recently worked with the importers to bring in the top rosé from the Chateau Cuvée Marius. There are a die hard following of Clos Cibonne who regularly visit our restaurant, enough that I can’t keep the cuvée Caroline back enough to age.”

This exclusive dinner is priced at $289 per person and is limited to only 13 people. Non-refundable tickets are available for purchase through Open Table

If you aren’t able to join Provence Marinaside for this special dinner, fear not, the restaurant will be featuring some Clos Cibonne wines on its upcoming Summer Menu so you can enjoy them by the glass or by the bottle.

Join Provence Marinaside for a very intimate evening celebrating the flavours of Chef Quaglia’s native Provence on April 15^th. Tickets for this limited-seating dinner are sure to go quickly so don’t miss out.

Provence notes:
Established in February 2002, Provence Marinaside is the ‘bebe’ of Owner/Executive Chef (and Chevalier of France) Jean-Francis Quaglia. Reminiscent of Chef Qualia’s native Marseille, Provence is located at the south end of Yaletown, adjacent to the False Creek Seawall and with patios overlooking the Quayside Marina. Open every day for Brunch, Lunch, Happy Hour and Dinner.

Hours are:
Tuesday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

In addition to Dine-In service, Provence Marinaside continues to offer its regular menus for brunch, lunch and dinner as Takeout for personal pick-up or through delivery services Door Dash and Uber Eats.

Wine and Cocktails List , Brunch Menu, Lunch Menu, Happy Hour Menu, Dinner Menu, Dessert Menu

Provence Marinaside is also supporting The DowntownEastside Women’s Centre with the donation of meals and funds along with a donation option on their should the public also wish to support the organization. Details can be found on Provence Marinaside’s Home Page.

About Chef Jean Francis Quaglia
A native of Marseille, France, Chef Jean-Francis Quaglia comes naturally to the culinary world as his mother was acclaimed Chef Suzanne Quaglia of Marseille’s famed Le Patalain and one of the very first female chefs in France. At age eight, he made his first Tarte au Citron from his mother’s recipe. This same tarte is now featured on Provence’s menu. Following graduation, Chef Quaglia apprenticed at Hôtel Sofitel in Marseille, worked Chef Elie Mazot at Relais et Chateau’s Le Chateau de la Chevre D’Or in Eze and was Chef de Partie Tournant under the direction of his mentor, Chef Dominique LeStanc, at Hôtel Negresco in Nice (2 Michelin stars). Upon arrival in Vancouver he was Sous Chef under Chef Bruno Born at Le Coq D’Or and followed him to the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel where he became Executive Chef of the hotel’s Indigo Bistro Moderne. He opened his first restaurant, Provence Mediterranean Grill in 1997 in Point Grey and went on to open Provence Marinaside in 2002 and TWB-The Wine Bar next door in 2012 (it is now amalgamated into Provence Marinaside). In August 2021, the government of France honoured Chef Jean-Francis by naming him a Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre du Merite Agricole – one of France’s highest honours, second only to the Legion of Honour.

Media release (edited) and images provided by Nancy Wong, Culinary Communications.