This
is a wine tour with a difference: a little walking as well as
some discussing and drinking of wines, including many that are
lesser known but all of great interest. In the fourteen years
that Diana and I have lived here, the quality of wines from
this area has come forward in leaps and bounds. Jean-Luc Baldès
of Clos Triguedina is having wonderful results from his innovative
'New Black Wine' and 'Vin de Lune Moelleux'. Likewise with Pascale
Verhaege whose 'Le Cèdre' has never ceased to amaze (Outstanding
Wine ***** from Robert Parker) and whose 'GC' is not only matured
in 500 litre new oak barrels but fermented as well. Alain Brumont's
multi million pound project in Madiran has come up trumps and
Henri Ramonteu is producing the most succulent sweet white wines
at his Domaine Cauhapé. Not to forget to mention the
Brana family at Irouléguy, one of the pride of the Basques.
We will be looking at these with intent to see just how good
they taste.
KEY
POINTS OF THE WEEK
You
will be spending five nights of the week in the comfort of
a private eighteenth century château outside the pretty
town of Bergerac where James and Diana will be your hosts.
Here you are at home to enjoy the comfort of home-cooked dinners
and carefully selected wines and cognacs.
Lunch at Figeac
We
will be visiting five different 'appellations' and tasting
many more to give you a sure idea of the variation, quality
and quantity of what this exceptional area has to offer.
Walking
through a vineyard in Bergerac
Minette
Constant MW will be giving us a wine tasting discussing
the finer points of a careful selection of wines from the
south west.
Diana
( foreground ) and Minette Constant MW
As
with all of our other walks, some of the walks will be accompanied
by pack animals. The bags on the donkeys will carry chilled
Pineau and water and Diana's home-made biscuits and lemon
juice.
Vineyards
at Bergerac
You
will be covering not more than thirty five kilometres in the
week. If you ever feel tired there will be an opportunity
to take an afternoon off after lunch and relax at the château
or hotel to read or paint or shop … or just sleep.
Chateau
Monbazillac
We
are not wine buffs but our enthusiasm for the sport and fourteen
years experience of being here tasting, noting and drinking
should hopefully make you feel more aware of the intricacies
of wine by the end of the week. We are also very keen cooks
(see French Gastronomy
week) and for three nights of the week have the pleasure
of cooking delicious recipes to compliment the wines that
we have chosen.
Just
walking
For
more information on wines to be tasted during this walk please
refer to NOTES ON WINE
Click
here for the full itinerary