Andy Mossack goes Languedoc wine tasting, while staying the night surrounded by vines.
It was, it must be said, the perfect evening. Languedoc wine tasting with dark chocolate, a delicious regionally inspired dinner and then sleeping it all off in a 13th century chateau. Such is life these days in the Languedoc-Rousillon, a region reinventing itself from mediocre table wine producer into highly respected vintner of outstanding quality while at the same time embracing the tourism industry with arms open wide.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that France’s Languedoc region could achieve this, after all, it’s one of the country’s oldest wine growing areas, with a terroir quite unlike anywhere else in France. The soil is simply so varied within short distances; hillsides of gravel and limestone, scrubland of aromatic bushes and herbs, a Mediterranean climate and the Rhone river on the doorstep, all contributing to an endless combination of healthy grape varieties. Entrepreneurial wine producers, recognising these unique qualities, have flocked here to establish ambitious new vineyards with exciting and forward thinking techniques to produce some truly outstanding wines.
And the good news for tourism is many of them have realised the potential of providing quality hospitality too. Why put on wine tasting for a couple of hours and watch your guests drive away, when you can offer them perhaps lunch or dinner or a night or two in a beautiful chateau with glorious views to wake up to, not to mention the chance to sell a few more bottles!
I thought it was well worth exploring Languedoc to sniff out some of these nouveau wineries and put the theory to the test.
Chateau Haut-Gleon
Tucked away in a valley in the heart of a Corbieres forest I found this stunning 13th century chateau surrounded by nearly 100 acres of vineyards. Chateau Haut-Gleon is owned by a co-operative of 1,200 vine growers and managed superbly by Karine Meyer. Within the chateau itself are 3 guestrooms, each entirely different to the other, but all easily comparable to luxury hotel standards, and two more luxury cottages close by in the chateau grounds.
Spectacular gardens overlooking the aptly named Paradise Valley surround the house, the scent of rosemary and thyme heavy in the air and, hidden behind an ancient wooden door, an impressive outdoor swimming pool and patio for those long summer evenings. All good so far.
The majestic chateau rooms are obviously first choice, particularly when you learn about the colourful history of this beautiful property, but Karine’s attention to detail has meant all of the accommodations are top-notch. You take breakfast in the chateau dining room, a buffet with locally made bread, honey and jams and spend the day exploring the countryside; plenty of hiking and biking trails, or just wander around the 600 acres of the estate and smell the vines as they say.
Talking of which, there is plenty of opportunities to sample the wines from Chateau Haut-Gleon, something I took to with alarming ease, the reds in particular. There is something a little special I feel, in drinking wine in the very place it’s been created, and Chateau Haut-Gleon is small enough to really get that local producer feel.
There are a number of excellent restaurants in the area, but Karine can, with prior notice, provide a home-cooked dinner and of course some wine pairing and tasting classes including the aforementioned chocolate!
Rooms at Chateau Haut-Gleon are from €90 including breakfast. Wines are €9 -€15.
Chateau L’Hospitalet
On an entirely different level completely, Chateau L’Hospitalet is one of 8 estates owned by French international rugby legend and wine god Gerard Bertrand. This one is a bit special in that it rests within La Clape Massif, a spectacular elevated coastal limestone range overlooking the Mediterranean amongst miles of pine forest. Just a few minutes from the town of Narbonne in one direction and a wide deserted beach in the other, you still feel you are in splendid isolation; just you, the vines and Gerard’s impressive winery operation.
This feels at first, like a giant winemaking operation, which it is, with estates all over the region, but Bertrand literally grew up in the vineyards of Languedoc and although his supply is plentiful and suits all pockets, his passion for supporting and partnering with local growers and co-operatives still burns avidly. So, big perhaps, but equally supportive of the local communities.
I enjoyed some wine tasting from Irish born Chef of the wine cellar Feargal Nolan, a man you would think more expert in the liquid black stuff, but he most definitely knew his wines for sure.
There’s a 38 room 3-star hotel on the estate and a gourmet restaurant too, so not too shabby a place to rest up for a day or two with the beach so close. An interesting footnote to Chateau L’Hospitalet is for the last 10 years at the end of July, it’s held a 4-day summer jazz festival hosting many well known international artists like Kool and the Gang, Earth Wind and Fire, Billy Paul and Boy George.
Rooms from €110 including breakfast
Wines from €8
Riberach & Co
In the tiny village of Belesta, just a stone’s throw from the Spanish border, I found something quite extraordinary. A mightily ambitious project from Karin Puhringer & Luc Richard, a German architect couple who put their passion for winemaking and hospitality to the ultimate test. The village owed its very existence in the 1920’s to a wine co-operative that built a huge facility in the shadow of the village’s medieval castle, to process local grape production.
Fast forward a few decades and the factory lay abandoned for many years until the Karin and Luc saw the potential of converting half of it into a contemporary luxury hotel and the other half to recommencing wine production cue Riberach & Co. The hotel design ingeniously incorporates much of the original factory structure with the metal gangways and staircases and converting the wine vats into luxury bedrooms. Out the back, a magnificent decking bar and patio with glorious views of the rugged countryside and the ingenious outdoor pond/pool area down below.
Wine production is still a work in progress, very labour intensive for the small team although there are some impressive examples on sale already, the old winery showing there is plenty of life left in the old girl yet.
A crowning achievement for the couple is a Michelin star award in 2014 for their restaurant, La Cooperative, itself crafted out of the centre of this cathedral size building where the old presses used to be, the cart tracks still evident as you walk between the tables. Talented head chef Laurent Lemal has conjured up a clever balance of locally sourced traditionally seasonal ingredients and culinary magic to deliver some imaginative dishes which in my opinion thoroughly deserve a Michelin star. Who would have thought the Catalan pork with coconut and wood hedgehog (not a real one I might add) with simmered white sausage could be so delicious.
Double rooms from €130 plus breakfast. La Cooperative Restaurant set menus from €54 – €84 plus a la carte dishes from €24. Riberach wines from €6.
Estate Maison de Cazes
Walking among the vines rows with 4th generation Emmanuel Caze just before harvest, he reminded me he grandfather Aime began growing vines here in 1890. Back then of course, it was simply a case of picking some grapes pressing some wine and selling the bottles to grateful villagers. Times have changed and although the family no longer control the company,
Emmanuel is still very much involved with production and development focussing on more organic and biodynamic agriculture. Here in Rivesaltes, the Estate Maison de Cazes winery is still very much a part of the town’s heartbeat, even more so with the opening of an organic restaurant La Table d’Aime named after his grandfather. With a 3 course menu for €25 including Caze wines on tap this is extraordinary value in anyone’s book. The restaurant has breathed new life into the business and offers patrons the opportunity to taste the wines in a sociable environment. The food was excellent, as were the wines and looking around there was just the odd empty table.
Gourmet Escapade: Cellar visit, wine tasting, lunch at La Table d’Aime €25 weekdays €31 weekends.
Chateau Mourges Du Gres
Not far from Nimes in Beaucaire, Anne and Francois Collard have a stunning 160 acres of vineyards and orchards overlooking the Rhone valley. It was a sunny day, so I took the opportunity to try out their self guided interpretive trail around the orchards, pines and vines of the estate discovering signs at strategic points along the route pointing out historical, flora and geology factoids.
Naturally, the tour ended with a wine tasting high up on a hillside overlooking the estate with The Rhone in the distance; a more than suitable spot to experience a few samples of Chateau Mourges Du Gres hospitality. Surrounded by the very terroir of the vine, and the smells of wild thyme and rosemary, it was hard not to feel intoxicated by the moment.
Anne also offers by prearrangement, a picnic back at the wonderful old chateau, some fresh regional offerings washed down with some more samples from the cellar, and after, a workshop on recognising different types of fragrances you’ll encounter in wine.
Domaine Gayda
My last stop was a new vineyard, formerly just a sea of sunflower meadows, in the village of Brugairolles not far from Carcassone, now a stunning estate and restaurant complex run by two English gentlemen, Tim Ford and Anthony Record together with winemaker Vincent Chansault and chef Pascal Ledroit. Whilst the vines are 100% organic and kept quite beautifully, the winery is nothing but state of the art in every sense.
There is some serious investment here, a cutting edge plant embracing 21st century winemaking techniques with open arms. “The vines next door are a perfect example” Tim explained taking us to his fence and pointing across to his neighbour’s vines “That guy is old school Languedoc with poor vine control and reflects just why this region used to produce such average quality. We’ve changed thinking around here and slowly, the locals are finally realising we know what we’re talking about.”
Who was I to argue, with another Brit colleague Mathew Stubbs having joined the team to teach professional wine qualifications in their Vinecole academy.
The proof of the pudding at Domaine Gayda was sampling some truly delicious wines over in the restaurant, a place of equally magnificent food creation; a Sunday evening 4-course menu with unlimited wines and coffee for just €29 really is great value.
I thoroughly enjoyed my journey discovering Languedoc wine tasting with Languedoc-Roussillon’s entrepreneurial wine producers. They have reignited the region’s best-kept secret and opened doors to new tourism opportunities. But for me, those bars of dark chocolate and wines at Chateau Haut-Gleon will live long in the memory.
All images (c) Andy Mossack
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