Day Trips
I offer guided visits and day tours either for House guests or from your hotel or holiday home. These day tours focus on our region’s special wine and food incorporating local history and culture.
Oenotourisme is just developing here and the various regional wine ’syndicats’ arrange exciting excursions, walks, fetes and soirees throughout the year in which we can participate. The cost is 40 euros a person (for a group of four or more) or 125 euros for two people.
Here are a few examples of one day itineraries to choose from:
Cathar castles and the Corbieres
Montpeyroux and the Coteaux de Languedoc
Minervois and the Canal du Midi
Ancient greeks, Amphorae and Agde
Visit to a local market & cooking class
One day wine tasting tour in Faugeres or St Chinian
Sample itinerary
VISIT TO THE APPELLATION OF FAUGERES
SURROUNDED BY VINEYARDS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS OF THE REGION’S WINE PRODUCERS – AND WHILST YOU ARE THERE SAMPLE A LITTLE OF WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER?
10.00am Overview of the region and discussion of the day’s itinerary.
10.30am Visit to the Caveau de Schistes for an explanation of the history and role of the cave
co-operatives and your first tasting of the day.
11.30am Visit a 10th century chateau with unparalleled views for an explanation of the local
geology and its impact on the wine.
12.30pm Three course lunch at a local restaurant.
14.30pm A walk amongst the vineyards.
15.30pm Visit to small independent Faugeres producer for a degustation.
One day wine tours run throughout the year but are subject to availability
Matching food and wine at dinner
Wine with food is the ultimate marriage. We offer informal instructed tastings to accompany your dinner…a different glass of wine served with each course. It is both fun and an art form to match the wine with our food….and, of course, a very pleasurable dining experience!
The diversity of wines and the wealth of natural produce in the Languedoc afford us a veritable palette of wines, with endless possibilities and combinations to choose from.
It is an eternal journey of discovery for either the beginner or the expert. Some are traditional, unquestioningly compatible, such as a chilled glass of Picpoul de Pinet with a platter of fresh oysters, a full bodied Faugeres with a wild boar casserole, a strong St Chinian and a juicy steak, or a rich, golden Muscat de Mireval with a bowl of freshly poached peaches. Others may be a personal preference, an experiment, a surprise, a wine which suits the occasion, the season, the mood or the food…?
Prices start at 15 euros a person (and rise accordingly, depending on the quality of the wines selected!)
Tours introduction
Our holidays are informal and our aim is to combine enjoyment and pleasure, to make it fun so you don’t even realise that you are actually learning too. They are designed to fuel the passion in you for food and wine whether you be an expert, an amateur or just happy quaffers!
Wine tasting is first and foremost a pleasure, one best shared, and there is nowhere better to taste than with the winemakers themselves, as every wine tells a story. It is inextricably linked to culture and history so we truly immerse ourselves in all aspects of the Languedoc.
This region produces an amazing array of red, white and rose wines of excellent quality, all infused with the taste of the local climate and terrain. Our tours aim to give a basic understanding of how wine is made so you can truly appreciate what has gone into making that perfect glass of wine you are drinking!
You will be given an insight into the history of wine production, how the vines are grown and how the local wine gains its unique flavour. Discovering the lesser-known vignerons who passionately practice the natural, traditional methods of wine-making as opposed to the more common, bland, industrially produced bottles marketed by the big companies.
Importantly you will also have an opportunity to buy some wine, should you wish to, and if you don’t have your car we can arrange shipment for you.
Our daily itineraries include all dining arrangements …. no wine appreciation would be complete without good food too!
What goes around comes around…..
I’ve just logged onto my friend Gavino’s website and read an article about the decline of Laithwaites. I must say that my heart doesn’t bleed for them as I have known for a long time that their slick marketing practices have been conning the public.
About Me
I am of English and Greek origin. I studied geography at University and, with my passion for food and wine, decided to follow family tradition and become a restaurateur. For twenty years my brother and I ran two successful restaurants specialising in Mediterranean cuisine, sourcing the finest ingredients and importing carefully chosen wine.
In 2002 we sold the restaurant and I arrived in Languedoc, almost by chance, to help my friend Jane who had bought a small hotel. Impressed by the rich history, culture and produce I have spent the last five years working with her and studying the region.
I divide my time between my London home and La Tour sur Orb working as a wine educator and guide promoting the region and its wines. I work closely with the winemakers who make natural hand crafted wines, organising tastings and presentations to promote their wines. I have recently formed an import company to make these wines more available in the UK.
In France I am based at Domaine de Brousson (www.domainedebrousson.com) offering excursions for guests and groups. I also host gourmet holidays for an English tour operator ‘Tastes of Languedoc’ (www.tastesoflanguedoc.com) and the Classic car Club ‘Parc Ferme’ (www.parc-ferme.co.uk).
Contact Details
+44(0)7710 217902 mobile UK
+33(0)4 67 23 76 89 France from the UK please dial: 0844 2328284
(for the price of a local call)
+33(0)6 14 45 21 10 mobile France
email: lits1@aol.com
Domaine de Brousson
Our base is Domaine de Brousson, an old ‘Maison de Maitre’ which is situated at La Tour sur Orb in the heart of the wine growing region of the Haut Languedoc Parc Naturel.
The Languedoc is still one of the lesser known regions of France. It is steeped in history and flourishes with its own rich and distinctive diversity of art, culture and spirituality.
The House www.domainedebrousson.com is part of an old Chateau and ancient 11th century Abbey and wine used to be made in the vaulted room below the outside terrace. We have now converted this room into our ’salle de degustation’.
The ambience is an ideal base from which to explore all the secrets that the Languedoc region has for us to discover.
It oozes elegant ‘Frenchness’ and the five comfortable double ensuite bedrooms, a library, a lounge, a stone walled terrace and a beautiful garden are all at your disposal.
A place to relax in and enjoy as well as to learn.
Group tours
Whether you are a wine society, a classic car club, a bridge club or a group of friends celebrating a birthday or a special event, I specialise in organising tours for groups tailor-made to suit your wine, food and travel wishes.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like me to propose some ideas for you. Prices, on average, range between 350€ – £575 per person for a three day tour.
For example, a group of twenty members of the Chalfont & Amersham wine society arrived in Montpellier and departed from Perpignan for a weekend of wine tasting and feasting:
Not only the Languedoc – I also organise ‘Bubbly’ weekends in the Champagne region or a Cider, Calvados and Camembert weekends in Normandy:
Find us
By Plane : The nearest airports are Montpellier (1 hour & 20 minutes) or Carcassonne (1 hour & 30 minutes). It is best to hire a car but we can arrange to have you picked up, as cars can be hired locally.
By Train : By Eurostar from Waterloo to Lille (2 hours) & then the TGV from Lille to Montpellier (4 hours & 40 minutes) or Beziers (5 hours & 30 minutes). This is a very comfortable, scenic ride & we can arrange special fares for you. Again we can arrange car hire or transport.
By Car : By Ferry or Eurotunnel to Calais and it is then about a 9 hour drive (about 765 miles). A lot to do in a day but we can recommend many wonderful stopovers. There is easy access from either the new A75 motorway (Sortie Lodeve, exit 52) & then the D35 direction Bedarieux, or from the A9 (Sortie 34), the D13 direction Pezenas/Faugeres, the D909 direction Bedarieux, and then the D35 direction Bedarieux.
DOMAINE DE BROUSSON
4 AVENUE DU CHATEAU
34260 LA TOUR SUR ORB
FRANCE
0033(0)4 67 23 76 89
Welcome to all fellow wine and food lovers
The appreciation of wine with a sense of place, culture, food and, most importantly, fun.
Based in Languedoc Roussillon, Southern France, I offer an opportunity to enjoy this beautiful region and discover the diversity of its history, geography, food and wine.
I can guide you for just one day or for a whole week, opening doors that wouldn’t normally be open; affording an opportunity to look at the real life behind the scenes and meet local characters who make it special.