This summer, an Olive Oil Museum opened in the village of Oppède, near Cavaillon. Set up by the Hugues family – winemakers at the Domaine de la Royère since 1986 – it showcases the age-old art of oil milling in an engaging, true-to-life exhibition.
Domaine de la Royère
The Domaine de la Royère, which spreads across 33 hectares around the village of Oppède, is a family business taken over by Anne and Jean-Pierre Hugues in 1986.
The estate produces white, rosé and red Luberon and Vaucluse AOC wines (transitioning towards organic since 2017), a natural sweet wine and a spirit made from Provence marc.
The Hughes planted an olive grove to produce oil from the Royère mill in the 2000s, and now tend six hectares of trees in the area around Oppède.
In tandem with this new venture, the enterprising Jean-Pierre and Anne began collecting the traditional tools and accessories that millers used in the old days.
Did you know?
The Domaine de la Royère is at once a vineyard, an olive oil mill and a collection of historic tools connected with the milling industry.
But the true centrepiece is a magnificent Corsican oil mill dating from the 1930s, still in its original condition. Jean-Pierre Hughes set himself the daunting task of transporting it from Corsica, piece by piece, then rebuilding it for his museum. Now showcased in an atmospheric display, it recreates all the old-fashioned charm of this traditional industry.
Shop
Alongside the estate’s own wines and oils, the shop also carries a great selection of Mediterranean products like utensils made of olive wood, traditional tapenades (olive pastes), soaps, honey, biscuits and other olive-based delicacies – all locally produced.
Practical info
Open daily from 9am – 6pm – closed on Sundays from October to March.
Prices: Adult €6.50 / Child €4.50 (under 16) / Free for under 3s
Self-guided, audioguide will be available soon
Guided tours in French or English available by prior arrangement
Address
Musée de l’Huile d’Olive
375, route de la Sénancole
84580 Oppède
www.museehuiledolive.com
Press contact : Agnès Hugues – T. 33 (0)4 90 76 87 76 – info@royere.com
GPS Coordinates
5.161890
43.855568