September 2014 Tours

Thursday 25th Tour 2 Cairanne, Rasteau and Roaix

We decided to liven our senses a little with a visit to the senses tour at the cooperative of Camille Cayran in Cairanne. It was also an opportunity to gain a little knowledge, which can take seriously or lightly. We of course tried their wines afterwards!

At Domain Boisson it is a true family business as we met with both Bruno and Regis and their wives. We were pleasantly surprised that Yukiko recognised the Domain as one they tried back in the UK and was very excited to meet them in person and couldn't help but buy a bottle! Regis was so happy to meet them that he gave them a complementary bottle which really made their day!

From there, we drove through the hilltop village of Cairanne and over towards St Roman de Malgard for a taste of good french home cooking at Chez Claudette. We stayed with our clients to enjoy the ambience with them outside. We had the usual choice of starter from the salad counter and then for main it was a choice of duck or pork with sweet carrots, followed by a selection of cheeses and for dessert, Ile Flottante, ice cream or chocolate mousse!( all with a carafe of red wine of course!)

After this feast, we set of to Domain Charavin to taste their superb Rasteau CDR.
We then headed up again, through the village of Roaix, to our last cave, Doamaine des Escaravailles who are known for excellent quality Rasteau, Roaix and Carainne CDR. This proved to be a good choice as Chris and Yukiko bought a bottle about 6 years ago in the UK and not seen it back in the shops since!

It goes without saying that we tried all their reds and some of their vin doux naturel too!

Well it was the last tasting of a very interesting, adventurous and fun 3 days.

Thank you to Chris and Yuliko and to our friends at the caves

We will be putting a list of some of the wines we tasted on our website in due course.

September 2014 Tours



Wednesday 24th Tour 4 Beaumes de venise, Violes and Vacqueyras

We started the day at the Beaumes de Venise co-operative, where you can visit their Vinotheque, showcasing their older vintages and walk across a glass floor above their cellar!
After tasting here, we moved on to a small independant, Domaine St Roche, where we were able to show our clients the workings of their of aluminium vats, recently filled from their harvest. Stephane can now sit at his computer and watch the information from the vats to ensure temperatures and fermentation processes are at their optimum. ( he will still have to taste the wine during this time, of course!) After a couple of tastes straight from the vats, we went back 
to the cave for the degustation. We tasted their roses and reds and their delightful Beaumes de Venise Muscat.
It was now time for lunch, and what better location than the Chateau du Martinet in Violes. It is just like stepping back in time!
After lunch, we went to Domaine des Favards, where we found Celine busy in the cellars transferring the wine to ensure that the sediment was moved. It was this reason that Celine set up a tasting table in the cellar, so that she could keep an eye on her work and give us attention too! Thank you Celine:)

Our final stop was at Arnoux et Fils, in the village of Vacqueyras, they have a vast selection of wines for an independent, and the old cellars are still situated under the village.

We will be putting a list of some of the wines we tasted on our website in due course.


September 2014 Tours

We met our lovely clients at the Hotel Montmirail in Vacqueyras early Monday morning at the start of their 3 day tour with Raisin'your glass!

Monday 22nd Tour 3 Violes, Sablet and Gigondas

After discussing the itinerary with Chris and Yukiko, we set off towards Roaix following the roads through Gigondas, Sablet , Seguret and onward to Rasteau, alongside les Dentelles de Montmirail setting the backdrop to these hill top villages.
We visited a couple of cooperatives, one in Roaix-Seguret and another in sablet, and we had enough time to visit an independent in Gigondas before taking lunch at 12pm at the LaTable du Mas at the Mas de Bouvau.


Roaix-Seguret

Mas de Bouvau
After lunch, we set off to a cave in Violes who have their vineyard in Seguret. We tasted Sablet and Rasteau. Gigondas was proving to be a favourite choice, so we headed off to Pierre Amadieu in the heart of the village for a rather special and interesting tasting, much to Chris's delight! Because Chris and Yukiko were travelling by plane to England they had limitations on the quantity of wine that be brought back, and so realising this, the cave mentioned the Wine Fair in Lille on 14th-17th November, which is closer to home and therefore could arrange collection of some of the wines they would have purchased.
The Grande Reserve AOC Gigondas Red and the Domaine Grand Romane AOC Gigondas Red were particularly liked and one of them, The Reserve, needed to be taken home with them today!

We will be putting a list of some of the wines we tasted on our website in due course.


September 2014 Tours



The mistral was blowing hard when we arrived in Violes, but the sky was blue and the sun warm (as you would expect!) We have 2 weeks here to enjoy the sun, wine and good company, meet some new faces and share our experiences.
We visited some new caves with Colin and Ann this time in Caromb and Beaumes de Venise, having been on our tours before, they were keen to have tastings from some different vineyards in the area.
One vignerons, just outside Vacqueyras near Aubignan , meet their customers by appointment only. Alain and his wife Nelly have their cave at their home in the middle of their vineyard, which has far reaching views across their vines in a seated pergola area with the perfect view for tastings.
We started with their Vacqueyras wines and followed with their Muscat de Beaumes de Venise white and red.
We were then asked if we fancied trying his Eaux de vie de Muscat and Vinaigre Balsamique de muscat.


Well, it would be rude to say no.......


This caveau has certainly not only entertained us but has showed us again how passionate wine growers are and why they make exceedingly good wines.
We will certainly be adding this vineyard to our wine tours!

Our second tasting takes us to a another family vineyard just outside the village of Caromb, another discovery from the Vacqueyras wine fete this July. It is a busy time of the year with the vendanges taking place, producers are waiting to pick at the right time for their grapes to achieve the perfect wines.  They still have a lot of work to do preparing their vehicles and equipment! After a picnic lunch, (the usual fresh baguette from the boulangerie with selection of cold meats and pate with Charentais melon) and in the midst of the vineyards, we went to the cooperative of Cave St Marc; we are always met here with helpful and friendly staff. When we book here we are able to make use of their tasting room with Gaby.

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this week, having a romantic meal at the Mas de Bouvau in Violes, remembering the day where we were married. We also celebrated Pete's 50th Birthday with our good friends in Vacqueyras along with their family and friends. (see More cheese gromit blog)


After a few thunderstorms during the week, (which left our car covered in grape juice from the roads) the mistral returned to settle the weather and let the sun do it's job. The harvest was in full flow now, with some producers waiting to the following weekend to pick at their ripest.

More cheese Gromit?



To celebrate Peters' 50th Birthday in Provence it couldn't have been better served than being invited to our good friends' Micheline and Jacques' cheese and Champagne soiree. It was also their daughters' birthday and we were made welcome by their friends and as many choices of cheese as years old!

The night began with Champagne, followed by a selection of 26 cheeses numbered in tasting order. Varieties such as goats cheese with fruit, Brie de meaux, Compte Vielle, tournesol, Epoisses, Roquefort, Salers and the list continues......all accompanied with a selection of choice charcuterie.

With lots of laughter and tales from Jack, we enjoyed the 'smorgasbord' of cheeses with some very good local wines from Vacqueyras, Cairanne and Vinsobres. Including a vary special Vacqueyras produced by Jack's brother and blended by Jack himself in the year that his daughter was born, 1991!

And it was amazing........
The evening was rounded off with a tempting selection of french pastries....of course!

Feelling Mediterranean



Tonight, we wanted to go to the Mas de Table, at the Mas de Bouvau, for our wedding anniversary, unfortunately the restaurant is closed, so we booked for another night.
So instead I am cooking my Mediterranean vegetable pie. (see previous blog) !
This enables plenty of drinking time :)

Vacqueyras Wine Fete


We do enjoy this event and this year was no different. 
After the official opening, and the purchasing of the wine glasses, the wine tasting commenced. It is now that you must choose wisely as there are so many to choose from. After a long morning, we decided to go for lunch and a cooling swim, it is advisable to pace oneself as the wine fete goes on for two days.

The evening kicked off with the World Cup final on a big screen right in the heart of the village under the beautiful trees, 'le cours Stassart', the village was packed ! We were also able to enjoy the live band known as 'No Name'.

After a good evening and a good nights sleep, the Monday was started with a mass in the church followed by a ceremonial burning of ' Les Souches' in front of 'des Confreries des Maisteres Vignerons de Vacqueyras'. With our wine tasting glasses in hand we were ready to sample just a few more of the wines available. It is on the second day that you can take part in a midday meal 'Repas Champetre' a seven course meal.

The fete continues into the evening with a 'Grand Bal Populaire' accompanied by an orchestra.

Another wine fete comes to a close....maybe we'll see you there next year?

JUNE 2014 TOUR



It's time to pack the corkscrew again and venture down to the where the sun is shining. We have a booking on the 10th and we need to arrive the weekend before to prepare....

This was to be our first trip in our newly acquired Tiguan, but we got off to a rocky start, as when we were waiting for our early Saturday morning crossing from Dover, our battery ran flat from leaving the lights and radio on, which we only realised when we were about to board! DFDS were extremely helpful, and jump started us from one of their trucks and managed to just get on...last!

Wondering if the car would start the other end, we cautiously started her up, and were relieved to hear the engine fire! We were off! An early crossing meant that we could get some distance south with little or no traffic, and aim to get a rest at Reims around 4am.

We arrived at our destination apartment at 6.30pm, after taking a detour around Valence due to traffic and compulsory Auchan stop for food. We were welcomed into the Autoroute du Soleil with temperatures of 35 deg Celsius...ah lovely! Just right for an evening meal of spicy sausage pasta and chilled Rose.

Sunday

After a good nights' sleep and  a full continental breakfast at our lodgings, Maison Plantevin, set in among the vineyards, we set off to establish contact with our chosen wine tasting caves. We met with the wonderful Regis father of Bruno to confirm our visit at Domaine Boisson. We returned to our accommodation and we were able to take a very rewarding dip in the pool. In the evening we ventured to Vaison La Romaine for dinner, after which we were able to take advantage of a local fair. We then took a moonlit walk from the old roman bridge up to the castle. (Admittedly we did not make it to the top as it was starting to get a little dark, but we did manage an encounter with a friendly lizard!) 

Monday



From time to time we also need to replenish our daily imbibe, so we visited Costebelle to stock up. It was then necessary to prepare a lunch for our invitation to Domaine des Favards for their Pique-nique avec le Vigneron independant. We had a wonderful time and a lovely day was spent with some of our friends in Violes on this warm, sunny Provencal day. We enjoyed the company of some English campers who were staying on the campsite. It was also a pleasant surprise for us to meet Maryline Barbaud who married us in 2006!

To continue our trip back in time; in the evening, we dined at La Table du Mas, the restaurant found at the Mas de Bouvau which is now run by their son, Benoit Hertzog, where he pays homage to his fathers' menu's.

Tuesday

We met our clients, Lorraine and Noel, early at their accommodation in Le Barroux. First stop Camille Cayran where we visited their senses tour before our first wine tasting. The next stop, also in Cairanne, was Domaine Boisson. Bruno was able to present his wines to us as we tasted them much to the approval of our clients.
Domaine Boisson
Chez Claudette
It was now lunch time, so we headed off through the hillside to Chez Claudette at St Roman de Malegarde. Feeling refreshed after some satisfying home-made cuisine, we set off to our nest
vineyard, Domaine Charavin in Rasteau.

We had enough time to offer a mystery vineyard and were lucky to find the family in at Domaine la Damase in Violes. We were greeted with the usual friendly smile and welcomed in to their cave.
This visit was particularly favoured by Lorraine and Noel as it is a beautiful and rustic setting.
It was a fitting end to another tour before returning our clients to their gite.




Meal out or dinner in?



That is a very good question, there are so many great places to eat, Restaurant, Pizzeria, Cafe, then further choices, modern, traditional, local, specialties. Then on top of all this you could get carried away at the local market or even the supermarkets with their amazing selections.

I love eating out, but I also love cooking the important thing is that it is not complicated and you can drink a glass of wine whilst cooking just like Keith Floyd (well he did indeed have his own restaurant locally in Isle sur la Sorgue.) 

I like to buy fresh ingredients, but also what is good value.

Someone also said that you should have a repertoire of meals that you can cook every day, therefore, for me this is also important if you are on holiday. These are a few of the recipes that I find are easy to adapt to the ingredients that you have available.

Fish - Salmon Feta Pie
Salmon steaks, Leeks or onions, Feta cheese, eggs,filo pastry. We enjoyed this with chilled bottle of Petite Perle from Domaine de la Damase

Sausages - Merguez Pasta
Sausages (Merguez is my favourite), Onions, Garlic, Herbes de Provence, Tinned tomatoes, dried or fresh chillies
Chop the onions and garlic, fry the onions until soft with olive oil, remove the skins from the sausages and add to the pan in small chunks, fry with the garlic and chilli. When the sausages are nicely browned, add the tin of chopped tomatoes and herbes de provence. Serve with your preferred pasta. I also enjoy this recipe with mashed potatoes but this will take a little longer. Lovely with a glass of red!! If I make it really spicy, I like to have a nice smooth red from Costebelle.

Chicken - Chorizo Chicken
Chicken pieces, Olives, Tin of Tomatoes, Chorizo, 
Chop up the chorizo into chunks and fry off with a little olive oil. Fry off chicken pieces for about 3 minutes on each side just to brown and then leave to one side whilst you fry off chunks of the chorizo in 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar and 1 tsp of sugar and caramelise. Now add capers, olives, provence herbs, tin of chopped tomatoes and a little chicken stock. Put everything in the same pan and cover and cook for approx 1 hour. Oh, and guess what.........this goes really well with a glass of red. If I remember we had this with Domaine Boisson Cairanne Cotes du Rhone villages.

Vegetables - Mediteranean Vegetable Pie
Pesto, Chilli (optional), Mozzarella, Puff Pastry, 
Any vegetables, I like Courgette,
Peppers,Tomatoes, Onions, Whole Garlic, chop all the vegetables in good size chunks, and roast in a tin with olive oil.One cooked mix in pesto and chilli and leave to cool.
Meantime take the pastry and roll out into a circle, put the vegetables over one half, and slice the mozzarella and place on top. Wet the edges of the pastry
and fold over like a Calzone. Score the pastry and then glaze with egg. Bake in the oven for 35 mins approximately ( This very much depends on the oven that you are using!!)

Moussaka


Minced lamb or beef, jar of bolognese sauce (cheating I know), plenty of mint, sliced potatoes and aubergine, bechamel sauce, grated cheese.


I do cheat with this one, and it makes it quite simple, even better if you have a food processor to hand to finely slice the aubergines and potatoes. Once you have done this boil the potatoes in hot water until al dente. The rest .....put the meat, bolognese sauce, mint into a pan and heat through until the meat is cooked. Then layer your sauces and vegetables, top with cheese and bake in the oven.  We also enjoyed a lovely bottle of Caromb Grand Reserve , with this ( I do believe it was just the one!)


I haven't divulged all the wines, after all that is a question of personal taste :)




2013 Wine Tours

We have enjoyed all of our wine tours this year, and thank our clients for their participation.

On a tailored tour we were able to fit in a wine tasting at Visan before heading off to Vaison La Romaine. (if you look on our website ,www.raisinyourglass.com, at the Gallery here you will see some of the photos from this year, which also includes the very large Roman vase mentioned in a previous blog!)

After lunch in the Place Monfort we then walked down to the ancient roman bridge before heading off for another wine tasting at Costebelle and a viewing of their cellar and vast wine vats.

We then went to Cairanne and after the tasting here we walked around their sensory experience, This is an interesting and informative way of discovering how your senses are involved in wine tasting.

Domaine de la Damase was another discovery for us this year; we really like this traditional family run vineyard. They have been able to pass down traditional methods and combine with new wine technology.






In Suzette we also discovered a new vineyard Mathi Flo, and afterwards take in the views just before lunch. This was also an opportunity to take in the beautiful little 12th century church Notre Dame de Suzette that can be found at the top of the village.

Lunch time is a very important time too, so always good to find a quiet and relaxing restaurant just like Hotel De Montmirail (a link to their website can be found on our website too).


I will be blogging about other great vineyards and details of their wines. I also need to mention some of the other fantastic restaurants that we have enjoyed this summer...

2013 Wine trips

July 2013
Once again we arrived in the Vaucluse to blue skies and warm sunshine. We were also met with the typical aperitif! After this we were able to enjoy a lazy evening with a nice meal and a few glasses of wine from the local caves.
Until the arrival of our first clients we spent some time relaxing by the pool in between our vineyard visits.
It was at Beaumes De Venise that we were able to pick up their special limited edition Tour De France Muscat.
At Vacqueyras we enjoyed the local market every Friday morning and then in the evening the farmers market held at Vignerons de Caractere. It was on Friday 12th that the preparations started for this years wine fete. It was here that we sampled many of the Grand Crus from the area, along with some Cognacs. Some of the villages represented were Vacqueyras, Beaumes De Venise, Violes, Rasteau, Gigondas, Chateau Neuf De Pape and Clairette De Die. This is a great place to discover new vineyards and this year it was Domaine St Vincent. I love their Cru Vinsobres 2011. A definite addition to our wine tours and our wine cellar!
We stayed at Le Pradet for a few days, a lovely clean hotel just on the edge of the village of Vacqueyras. It was here that we got to see the support vehicles for this years Tour De France.

At Costebelle in Tulette we got to watch the AOP Cotes Du Rhone rouge being vacuum packed and boxed, this is one of the great things about our tours you get to see the vineyards at work doing their usual daily activities.
We stopped at Mas De Bouvau for an aperitif (just in case I have not mentioned it before this was the hotel of our french wedding). It was excellent to see our hosts M. et Mme Hertzog.
I like to buy the seasonal fruit and vegetables direct from the local farmers. I purchased some tomatoes and lettuce and beautiful nectarines. They could be easily eaten just as they are with their fabulous flavours but I could not resist bottling these wonderful summer flavours for later on in the year, so I made nectarines in Muscat and nectarines in brandy.
I always enjoy our meals at La Loupiotte and I do favour their woodfire Calzone!!

I think that I will start some wine tasting evenings when we get back to the UK....................

Discovery

And now the inevitable blog has arrived.......as I mentioned earlier it was Frank & Connie who introduced us to this unique area of France.......the Vaucluse. It was also this couple who took us on a trip to Domaine De L'Espigouette run by Edmond Latour. I remember the day he proudly showed us a bottle of wine that had been produced by his son Bernard.......and then later again I held his son Julien as a baby perhaps too close to the crusher.
I have grown up alongside this family and their wines and it was here that I learnt about tasting and fine wines. 
It is not just about the wine but your own personal taste and learning about what you like, colour, aroma, clarity, viscosity, alcohol content, the sound of the pouring, froth/bubbles, reflection, tears and of course the taste.
This vineyard will alsways be important to me!

The discovery of other vineyards has and is fun and interesting; the result of holidays and wine fetes. Smile

The markets and local produce..

Just where should I start when it comes to the markets. One of my favourites is St Cecile Les Vignes, but others will beg to differ. All that is important is the local produce that has been brought in and displayed by the farmers, These fruit and vegetables are the natural colour and shape that they are supposed to be, and there is the beautiful aroma too!
It is a struggle to go the markets without coming away with the freshly cooked Paella or a rotisserie chicken. I love the olives, sundried tomatoes, pickled garlics and tapenades; there is such a wide selection it is so difficult to know which to buy next or even not come away with too much (Ask Pete!!)
Then there is of course the cheeses and they have come from all over France. The different nougats from Montelimar.

If these wonderful products are not enough then you have the souvenirs stalls or clothes and fashion stalls... Or you could just sit in a quiet shaded corner watching all the vibrant colours, the hustle and bustle, maybe a coffee, icecream. Maybe we should stop off at a local Cave on the way back?

Wildlife

I cannot blog here without mentioning my favourite wildlife see over the years. The obvious would be the pink flamingoes and the white horses of the Camargue not in the Vaucluse but the Gard. My absolute favourite has to be the lizards; it's the little ones you see either sat perfectly still sunbathing or running at high speed across the hot ground. No matter where you go they can normally be spotted maybe appearing from a crack in a wall.
The less obvious has to be the Cicada (La Cigale) only from the fact that they are so well hidden but the song is there from the first moment of warmth in the morning until the evening coolness stops them from emitting their constant noise. After a while you no longer notice it, but what I love is when we travel down by car and we come off the A7. I have to open my car windows to feel the warm air, and hear the Cicada.
Then there is the Praying Mantis , now this truly is a fantastic sight. On our last holiday Pete could not take enough photo's of a partictular Praying Mantis that perched itself on a small flower. I will get him to put this picture onto our website. (by the way this was a very small one!)

I have also seen the most gorgeous Blue Carpenter Bee, unfortunately it was in a survival of the fitest between a Preying Mantis and the Bee. Often seen buzzing around the lavender amongst the bees are the simply amazing Hummingbird Hawk Moth. I have sat and watched these for hours.

Trips

At Vaison La Romaine I remember a large ancient vase taller than my father, and then my mother spotted a perfect photo opportunity. We has to sit on an old Roman wall...my brother & I were in a hurry to remove our bottoms from this hot seat.
 Trips to the coast at Le Grau-du-Roi or La Grande Motte always seemed particularly hot. On the journey back we felt the heat on our backs combined with the dry salt and sand; one does need to be very careful at the seaside. We lost a beach ball taken away by the wind but we were lucky as opposed to the young lad who lost his dinghy when it started flipping over again and again in the wind until we saw it no more!

I always preferred the visits to the local swimming pool at Carpentras myself


I started sketching here, even though I had only turned thirteen I can still see the effects of the mistral on the trees against the backdrop of the hills on one of my very first drawings. Just a week and a half later I sketched the bell tower in Seguret and the interesting 17th century fountain...I continued to sketch having found another passion.

Roussillon

I cannot remember the first time I visited Roussillon, I believe I was too young to appreciate it's beauty. I had not yet truly discovered art. I only remember returning back to the campsite with very red feet! My true recollection is when I was asked what I wanted to do on my 16th birthday. I wanted to go for a trip to Roussillon and I came back with lots of photos.
I have since returned with Pete and I now want to colour all our brickwork ocre red but I have to admit to finding it tricky to decide which shade of red to buy when we were in the shop in Roussillon.

Camping at Le Brégoux

It was at Camping Le Brégoux where I grew up with the French way of life, with French friends I discovered the game of boules (which to my surprise) my father joined in a competition with a french partner and won!
Playing with other children our own age my brother Nigel & I learnt french words that would see us improve our vocabulary well beyond that of the classroom. I always think back to the occasion when I was in the playground and using the slide I stopped when I saw a wasp had settled to sunbathe. Unfortunately I had not discovered the word quêpe and was unable to tell the young boy behind me not to use the slide. Seeing him running off crying, made me learn that word.

I took part in a competition at the olympic sized swimming pool in Carpentras, trying to swim with a pair of wellington boots, to be dragged back again on a large inner tube was interesting. I can certainly recommend young children coming to France just to learn the language by playing your usual playground games.  A simple game of cards taught me the French word tricher (to cheat). My brother and I also shocked the locals by playing tennis on the courts in the midday sun, I probably would not recommed this. We borrowed bicycles from a neighbouring family, and went almond picking only to bring the bicycle I was riding back with a puncture. There was another family who owned the chip van in the campsite carpark, we named their father Fritz the chip man, we went to their house and my brother got to ride on their mini motorbike on their grounds.
The Farrugia family became firm friends (Raymond, Monique, Christel & Stephan), I was able to keep in touch with Christel from home as we became penfriends. 
Snails played a part too; we collected edible snails with the locals after very rare rain; and had them for dinner. Which reminds me of the first time we ordered them at a local restaurant called Les Arenes, they came on a puff pastry base, with frogs legs in a tomato and garlic sauce. Restaurants do seem to play a large part in my memories, I still believe that we were sat in a restaurant Relais des Dentelles in Beaumes De Venise opposite Benny Hill (I will never know for sure!)

On 18th August 1986 the family discovered the restaurant L'Oustalet in Gigondas, the meal started with us being able to help ourselves to the Chariot De Crudités, followed by Paupiettes De Veau in a provencale sauce with noodles. On this particular evening there was a storm and therefore a power cut which meant that the meal had to be eaten by candlelight . Whenever I return to the village centre up on the hill these memories come flooding back.

How it all began....

When I was just 11 years old we were camping in Switzerland; I believe by Lake Murten, unfortunately it was very rainy….My parents decided we should move southwards and set on the roads to France.  
It was at a French campsite where we met a lovely old couple by the name of Frank & Connie, they were travelling back to the UK. They told us of a place where there was warm sunshine to be found. Apparently the clouds normally avoided this particular area? 
We followed their instructions and ended up at a campsite by the name of Camping Le Bregoux, found in a little French village in the Vaucluse called Aubignan. This campsite was run by a very warm and friendly family by the name of Farrugia; we spent many a happy year here. It was here that I learnt in the early days that you should not drink too much wine.  

I also believe that it was Frank & Connie that introduced us to Domaine De L’Espigouette, run by the Latour family; Edmond Latour et Fils. I began to learn about wine, and of course wine tasting. We have continued to visit this vineyard every year, it is now run by Bernard Latour his wife and 2 sons Julien & Emilien.