A fun weekend to enjoy tasting and to appreciate Champagne – the wine and the region; to be welcomed by a top Champagne producer for an exclusive visit of her vineyards and tasting in her cellars, visit a famous Grande Marque, and a specialist grower in the Montagne de Reims

Friday – The weekend will begin on Friday afternoon when we meet in the centre of Epernay and from there we will go to a caviste for introductions and a degustation of four champagnes from different parts of the region to appreciate the role of the different terroirs.

After which we will be treated to a guided tour of the
cellars of a Grande Marque Champagne House in the Avenue de Champagne followed by a tasting.

Epernay is an interesting town, not touristy at all, and you will have a little time before dinner to explore for yourselves. We will dine early in a local restaurant, which prepares original dishes based on traditional Champenoise recipes.

Saturday – After breakfast Sylvie Maizieres will welcome us for a unique insight tour and tasting of her estate.

She own 7 hectares of vines, most of which are located in the Grand village of Bouzy and the Premier Cru village of Trepail, producing a range of Champagnes in their own individual style; a Blanc de Blanc (made solely from Chardonnay), a Brut Reserve, a Rose, a Demi–Sec and even a red wine, Bouzy Rouge, made from the famous Pinot Noir grapes, a wine so respected that it is bought by Moet et Chandon to add to their Dom Perignon Rose!!

The day will begin with an hours visit to the new museographe/scenographe to be educated and entertained by the robot ‘Creabulle’ and a ‘virtual’ Dom Perignon.

Then back to tradition for a personal tour of the cave for an explanation of how Champagne is made.

Lunch will take the form of a tutored tasting, to discover the joy of matching different styles of Champagne with samples of regional food, and of course, to enjoy drinking it!

After lunch we will have a tour of the vineyards to appreciate the unique ‘terroir’ and see why it makes the most revered sparkling wine in the world.

Should you be tempted there will be the opportunity to stock up on your favourites at cellar prices.

At the end of the day we will have a little free time before sharing an informal buffet supper together sur place.

Sunday – After breakfast, we will set off starting with a light-hearted rally driving through the wine villages of the Route de Champagne enjoying a leisurely scenic route on our way to our next visit. We will have a tour and tasting of another small producer who specialises in Champagnes made with a predominance of Pinot Meunier.

We will then enjoy a lunch of traditional steak & frites maison in a local village café before making our fond farewells.

Jane is an excellent cook and a fun teacher with a wonderful repertoire of regional recipes. Languedoc cuisine is famed for its tasty simplicity and with the wealth of ingredients available, dinner is a pleasure to prepare. There is nothing better than a visit to a local market for inspiration. Not only is it an opportunity to taste a little of the neighbourhood atmosphere but it is where the local people shop for the largest variety and freshest produce.

I will be your guide and lead you to select and purchase the ingredients that you will have the pleasure of preparing with Jane for a sumptuous feast.

Sample Weekend Itinerary

First Day

Afternoon arrival at Domaine de Brousson.
4 course dinner with wine tasting and an introduction to the region, its culture, wine and food.
Overnight at Domaine de Brousson.

Second Day

Breakfast.
Guided visit with Lits to local market to seek and select the ingredients for the afternoon cooking class.
Lunch at a traditional bistro.
Afternoon cooking class with Jane to prepare your 4 course evening meal. This will be interactive, informative, and fun.
Your dinner with wine!

Third Day

Breakfast.
Today will be spent touring and tasting in the Languedoc wine region with Lits as your guide. Meet the vignerons, walk in the vines and experience what makes this region produce such top quality wines.
Lunch will either be at a local restaurant or, weather permitting, a picnic in the vines.
Dinner with wine at Domaine de brousson and a tutored tasting, matching the wines we have tasted with our 4 course meal.

Fourth Day

Breakfast and farewells.

Price 450€ pp based on double occupancy

September is the busiest and prettiest time of the year in both the vineyards and the cellars. The colours are at their autumnal best with the leaves a myriad of shades from greens to amber and russet reds. This is the most colourful and exciting time to see at first hand the viticulture and wine-making styles of each individual producer and what’s more, to participate yourself. You will see first hand how wine is made, the choices the vigneron must make and the role and influence of their individual terroirs.

We welcome you here on a Friday afternoon and begin with a discussion of our itinerary, details of which are at the mercy of ‘Mother Nature’ who determines the start of the harvest (’la vendange’, as it is called in France).

Over the following couple of days we will visit winemakers in different appellations, watching them in action; sorting and pressing the grapes, starting the fermentation, and its vinification. Seeing the grape harvest in full swing and witnessing the picking by hand and machine, with a chance to join in ourselves (should you wish!).

We will lunch at local restaurants or picnic at scenic spots and in the evening feast en famille at the House where we will enjoy matching the wines we have chosen from the day with our freshly prepared supper.

“The amount of work, much of it manual, involved in maintaining a great vinetard defies description. The initial investment is colossal. The risks of weather are beyond man’s control: too much rain, no rain at all, hailstorms, freak winds, late frosts, early frosts. Everything can be done perfectly for eleven months of the year and destroyed overnight. I can never open a bottle again without thinking of the effort and skill and patience that have gone into it, and what a bargain it is.”
Peter Mayle 2001

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

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!

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: