Wines for every occasion

So many people ask me what is my favourite wine and for me there is no simple answer to this question. There is a wine for every occasion and for all different food types. 

I do have wines that I like for special celebrations, I buy wines for every day drinking and I also lay bottles down.

Our tours include wines that we have sampled, enjoyed and celebrated with ourselves. 

Here are some from Cairanne.

Discovery

We love adding new discoveries to our tours. This was a great wine that we tasted today!

Baron Le Roy

 Baron Le Roy

Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarie the founder of 'Le Syndicat des Vignerons des Cotes du Rhone'. Born in Normandy the 5th April 1890 and lived to June 1967. He was involved in significant roles within French Viticulture right up until his death. 

He moved to Languedoc in 1907 during an uprising of the winemakers of Le Midi and he was involved in demonstrations. The winemakers asked for his help as they had been suffering form a drop in wine sales and also from fraud.

He worked to defend them on the condition that they worked hard to produce quality wine an that they worked honestly.

In 1923 he founded 'Le Syndicat des Vignerons' and battled hard for 10 years to obtain recognition of the Apellation of Chateauneuf Du Pape.

A bust dedicated to him can be found in the village of St Cecile Les Vignes. 

Harvest Time

Once again the harvest is upon us, the Vignerons have been very busy, caring for their vines.

Now the grapes have changed colour, they wait for the correct sugar levels; which require the right amount of sunshine. This year has been particularly dry and we are told a good year!

The picking has commenced with white grapes and red for rosés; they will pick the grapes from now until the the end of the month maybe even later dependent on the what they desire in the juice.....flavour, sugar, alcohol level.

















We will be posting pictures of the harvesting process very soon.

From growing to harvesting

The vigneron works throughout the summer months, cutting, treating and tending the vines. They must ensure that they get the required results to achieve their final objective.

The grapes grow week on week, and so does the vine, this needs to be kept cut so that it does not interfere with the growth of the grape; the foliage has protective qualities and shelters the grapes too! They must decide on the best methods to control pests and weeds, others may see these and as part of nature.

We  must not ignore the vast area that they must cover. Some work by hand and others use machinery but this is still no small task....

A little break from vines to enjoying the grape....

An invite to Domaine Autrand in Vinsobres was met with great delight as they offered some amazing award winning wines together with some pairing food. It was all held in their Cave with their tall stainless steel vats dominating the scene.

Concrete Vats

 A marquee with tables and benches was laid on where you could sit and enjoy the wines with some cold meats. We were soon ordering some wine for ourselves and will certainly be putting this cave on our list to visit again.

We would recommend this cave for its outstanding Viognier and Rosé together with the Côtes du Rhône and Vinsobres Reds.

Selection of their finest