The wine-growing region is located in the south-eastern corner of France and stretches along the Côte d'Azur from Marseille in the west to Nice in the east. It is bordered by the two large wine-growing regions of Languedoc in the west and Rhône in the north. In many sources, the island of Corsica, 160 kilometres southeast of the coast, is considered to share a wine-growing area with Provence. In fact, there are also many similarities. Together with the Languedoc-Roussillon area, Provence is often referred to as Midi. Provence is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in France and indeed in Europe, as vines were planted and wine pressed here by the Greeks as early as the 6th century BC. However, it is possible that the Celts (Gauls) did this before them. The name comes from the Romans, who founded the "Provincia Romana" in 154 BC and delivered wine from here to Rome. Legionnaires who were discharged from service received a small estate here as a reward, which they used for wine-growing. The area has been hotly contested throughout history, belonging successively to the Roman Empire, Frankish Empire, Kingdom of Burgundy, Spanish County of Barcelona-Arágon, House of Anjou, Kingdom of Sardinia and finally France.
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