If you’ve ever considered being part of the French wine harvest then have a look at RTE’s video on Chateau Haut Garrigue in Saussignac west of  Bergerac – see www.rte.ie
Caroline & Sean Feely purchased the vineyard 4 years ago, and have developed a biodynamic, organic vineyard which is winning great acclaim from winelovers and professionals. Certainly we have enjoyed their wine (red, rosé and white Bergerac AC) and a visit to the Chateau last year.

They are huge enthusiasts and have developed the domain, opened a self-catering gite and enjoy sharing their passion for wine with visitors – including nature vineyard walks in and around the vineyard, wine tours to St Emilion and Medoc and classes including

a hands-on ‘Wine Workshop’ to learn about French wines and understand the complicated appellation system or a ‘Day Tour to St Emilion, Medoc or Bergerac’, a luxury 3-day ‘Vineyard Walking Tour’ or an ‘Exclusive Experience’ at our working organic vineyard and wine estate. Our goal is to exceed your expectations and give you relaxation, new knowledge and wonderful memories to take home. If you have more than a day why not create your own unique multi-day French wine tour using our suggested day tour options.

And it does not stop there – you can rent a row of vines and benefit from the fruits of the vintage; an online shop for buying their wines from UK, Ireland or France. It is well worth a visit!  If you are quick you can still order your wine for Christmas for UK delivery  (deadlne 16 November 2009) – see www.hautgarrigue.com/ukwine.html

Chateau Haut Garriguee24240 Saussignac France.

Also running under the banner of Wild Earth Vineyards, Caroline is passionate about encouraging people to appreciate and understand her organic wines. With a delightful gite (holiday rental accommodation) enjoying stunning views over the Dordogne valley and the vineyards, regular vineyard walks (which include other local organic vineyards), tutored wine classes (in Bergerac and Ireland!), longer vineyard walking holidays in Bordeaux, St Emilion & Bergerac – and other wine experiences which include trying your hand at being a winemaker for a day! – they offer plenty of ways of getting to know the wines and vineyard well.

Happily, all this “tourism” is secondary to the main focus, which is to produce great wines – and they do. We were hugely impressed by their clean, bright aromatic dry Sauvignon Blanc, but their other whites, rosé and seriously good red wines are also excellent and rated highly in the press and elsewhere:

‘Its gorgeous’ is what the Irish Times says of our La Source red wine. We also have our methode traditionnelle sparkling (the real thing) and 2006 saussignac available to you.It’s not just the taste that is superb. When you buy from us you are supporting:
- organic farming giving you a healthy product that does not have herbicide/ pesticide residues
- a very low carbon footprint (we do much of our vineyard work by hand, we favour natural processes rather than intervention and we have an oak forest to offset our CO2 emissions) giving us all a better future.

Well worth a visit if you are in the region, you can also order online for delivery to your door in the UK and Ireland. If you order by 8th December 2008 you can get UK delivery in time for Christmas and indulge with good wine direct from the winemaker!

Interestingly many of the small independent vineyards in the Bergerac appellation are going organic – and not just for the “feel good” factor or as a marketing ploy – sustainable vineyards and a healthy environment are needed to support the complex combination of factors (e.g. soil, climate, rootstock and people) which have to come together to produce consistently good wines.

For more info:-
Caroline & Sean Feely  E: caroline@wildearthvineyards.com
Chateau Haut Garrigue
24240 Saussignac
France
Tel: +33(0)553227271

However, my knowledge and passion for the region is completely overshadowed by Phil Hargreaves and his new book The Wines of Bergerac. This is a comprehensive and authorative guide to the 13 appellations (including Montravel, Pecharmant, Rosette, Monbazillac and Saussignac)and to ove 90 producers, each of which has a full page full of details of location, opening times, the nature of the “terroir”, how the grapes are grown and how the wine is made – plus details of UK stockists, contact details and tasting notes!

This has clearly been a labour of love, as I cannot imagine that anyone could do justice to more than a couple of vineyards a day to produce this amount of reliable detail -as always I checked out his entries on domaines which I know well such as Chateau Grinou, Chateau Haut Garrigue and Chateau Beauportail, and the entries are spot on! I share his affection for the Merlot and Cabernet reds, Sauvignon and Semillon dry and sweeter whites. His secret has been his career as a linguist and wine merchant – but also his sheer enthusiasm for the wines of Bergerac.

“..my love affair with the Dordogne started some 40 years ago when I was a student in Perigueux in 1968 . A few years later, my late father-in-law introduced me to the wines of Cahors and Bergerac and the seed was sown for an interest in wines that would lead to twenty years in the wine trade and ultimately, this little book.
1 have personally visited the vast majority of the producers in this guide and wines from every
winernaker included have been tasted by myself and my tasting team, drawn from friends and
colleagues at the Hengate Wine School and the Premier Cru Wine Club, based in Beverley,
East Yorkshire. I have resisted the temptation to give wines a star rating as I recognise that
taste in wine is a very personal thing and it does not pay to be too dogmatic. However, I hope
the tasting comments will help you establish which wines will most appeal to you.

There’s plenty of background to the region and its wines in addition to the individual producers’ pages, which makes the book both readable and an indispensible guide to visiting the region and its vineyards – I will certainly be taking a copy with me on my next trip to the Dordogne!

For more info on Phil Hargreaves, Hengate Wine School and the book “The Wines of Bergerac” see www.hengatewineschool.co.uk

The official launch of new guide “The Wines of Bergerac” will take place on Friday 26 September at 6 p.m. at Beverley Arms Hotel, Beverley, East Yorkshire. Book signing and free Bergerac tasting – see www.hengatewineschool.co.uk

A visit to Chateau Grinou (Monestier, 24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) south west of Bergerac, always takes longer than planned, and I always learn more than I expect.

On this ocassion it was to discover that Chateau Grinou is going organic! Now, whilst Guy Cuisset has a genuine concern for the well-being of the local environment and takes seriously his responsibilities as the current steward of the land and the flora and fauna of the domaine, he is no “tree-hugger”. His primary passion is to produce excellent wines. He does not compromise that objective, especially as there are so many other obstacles (weather, pest, disease) and constraints (bureaucratic, legal, financial) in the way. He is convinced that this approach, whilst being a good investment in the future health and viability of the vineyard, will produce better wines – wines which are more intense and show more of the real fruit character of the grape. The wines will evolve over the next few years as new techniques and fewer artificial interventions make subtle changes to the resulting wines.

The latest visit also included a walk through the vines, which demonstrate the complexity of the challenge. Every year is different, and every one of the 365 days of the year will be distinctively different from this year to last or next. This Spring was seriously wet with heavy downpours and sodden soil. This was followed by some very hot dry weather which dried the topsoil to an almost impenetrable concrete layer – making life very difficult when trying to get rid of the weeds between the vines – esepcially now that he can no longer apply selective weedkillers to deal with the problem.

Further on, he shows me his latest innovation – an organic water treatment plant – which collects all the waste water from the winery and treats it organically and aerobically before letting it flow into the local water course. It’s impressive with its bubbling air pumping through the water and the reed bed to filter the run-off. It may be a requirement of the EU, but few other vineyards are following his example.

It is easy to forget amongst all the hype, marketing and packaging that wine is an agricultural product, and that the winemaker is a farmer with his roots in the soil and environment of his domaine – he can see the benefits to local wildlife (some welcome, others not so), and recognises that his future and that of future generations is intimately invested in the “terroir” which makes his wines what they are.

Unfortunately the new Sauvingon Blanc (Bergerac Sec AC) is not yet available in the UK, so all the more reason to pay a visit to the domaine. English is spoken, but do not expect a fancy tasting room with award certificates, old barrels or ancient vineyard equipment – a plastic table in the middle of the stainless steel cuves is all you’ll get – plus a chance to taste some excellent wines and a small slice of Guy’s enthusiasm to take away!

For more info on Chateau Grinou and UK stockists – see www.frenchduck.co.uk/grinou.html

It promises to be fun – plus there are plenty of good winemakers in the area.

For more info see www.pays-de-bergerac.com 

A €13.00 euro (£11) wine pass will buy you 12 wine tastings, while a €70 euro (£58) pass will cover access to nine tasting routes through the region’s vineyards, spread over the four days. So you can choose between St Emilion, the Medoc, Sauternes and Graves, Entre-Deux-Mers PLUS trips to explore the wines of BERGERAC and COTES DE DURAS.
Within the city there will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate, taste and learn. Discover the nuances of the region and the wide range of wines, styles and prices which are on offer. It’s not all finest vintage, wallet-busting stuff, but some really good value interesting wines.

Amongst the other attractions (beyond the City itself with its rich history and cultural heritage) there will be barrel-rolling competition, numerous parades by different wine guilds, music, dancing, a food and wine village – every day there will be racing on the river with some of the old boats which used to bring the wine into Bordeaux and up the Gironde and onto ocean-going ships for export; and a competition to swin across the Gironde – definitiely not recommended if you have been imbibing!

For more info see www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com

You can book direct with Rail Europe for Eurostar and TGV tickets from London to Bordeaux

You can now enjoy a one of these very French machines by hiring one for a day or half-day in St Omer (62 Pas-de-Calais, Nord Pas-de-Calais).

Les Belles Echappees also hire out Citroen 2CVs, tandems and trikes and offer a number of packages which can include route suggestions, restaurant and hotel combinations etc.

Les Belles Echappées invite you to a journey off the beaten track in search of simple pleasures connected with emotion and collective memory.

You can find a video showing the 2CVs in action on You Tube Les Belles Echappees translates as a good time or break!

Les Belles Echappees, Chemin des murs, Ferme de l’Abbaye – 62500 CLAIRMARAIS
Tél : 03.21.98.11.72

There are other options for raking to the road “a la francaise” – e.g. the 2CV tours of Paris with 4 roues sous un Parapluie (4 wheels under 1 umbrella); Or hire a classic Citroen TA in the Loire Valley with Quart de Tours (37 Indre-et-Loire, Centre)

Further south Joffreny Tours offer classic and modern British cars (and others) for touring the French countryside from their base near Chalus (87 Haut Vienne, Limousin) – although helpfully they have an office in the UK

Lots to do and see – Hire a classic standard MGB Roadster, a V8 MGB Roadster, a BMW Z3 Roadster or a Triumph Stag (soft-top or hard-top) and take off on a sightseeing tour of the Limousin, Charente and Dordogne, in west central France, with all of its historic towns and picturesque chateaux, and sample some of the fine food and wine along the way. This is beautiful touring country and there are very few cars on the road…

It is hardly surprising then that a substantial proportion of the hundreds of thousands of Brits who own French property have been tempted by the apparently bucolic life of a vigneron……
Are there any French winemakers left down there?
I asked Walter McKinlay, whose Domaine de Mourchon southern Rhône wines are some of the most successful from a British domaine, whether his Domaine de Mourchon wines were financially viable. He frowned. “Just about,” he said cautiously, then smiled. “But it’s a lovely lifestyle though.”

My own observation would be that it can be incredibly hard work and despite the attractions of the climate, landscape and the French way of life, it can also be very stressful. And as with all winemakers, a bad harvest, particularly in the early years can be devastating.

So, here’s our list of British vineyard owners (and 1 Irish couple) – that we are aware of (not an exhaustive list I am sure). Visits can be much more informative if the language is no barrier:-

Domaine de Laroux – Cotes de Gascogne, Armagnac (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) – Nick and Karen Kitchener
Chateau Haut Garrigue - Bergerac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) – Sean and Caroline Feely (the Irish couple running an organic vineyard also known as Wild Earth Vineyards)
Domaine de Fontenay – Cote Roannaise AC (42 Loire, Rhone-Alpes) – Simon and Isabelle Hawkins

Chateau Richard – Bergerac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) – Richard Doughty

Domaine de Merchien – Coteaux du Quercy and beer! (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees – David & Sarah Meakin

Clos d’Yvigne – Cotes de Bergeac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) – Patricia Atkinson

Chateau des Milles Anges – Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Cadillac AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) – Heather van Ekris

Chateau Lezongars - Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) – Philip and Sarah Iles

Chateau Teyssier – Saint Emilion Grand Cru AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) – Jonathan and Lyn Maltus

Chateau de Sours – Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) – Esme & Sara Johnson

Domaine Gourdon – Cotes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) – John Coulthard
Domaine du Grand Mayne – Cotes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) – Andrew Gordon
Domaine de Begude – Limoux AC (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) – Catherine and James Kinglake
Domaine de Mourchon – Cotes du Rhone Seguret AC (84 Vaucluse, Provence) – Walter McKinley
Maison des Bulliats – Regnie AC Beaujolais (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) – Fred and Helen Lockwood
Chateau Méaume – Bordeaux Superieure AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) – Alan and Sue Johnson-Hill

Domaine a Sauvageonne – Coteaux du Languedoc AC, Vin de Pays d’Oc (34 Herault, Languedoc – Roussillon) – Gavin Crisfield

Domaine Sainte Rose – Vin de Pays d’Oc (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) – Charles and Ruth Simpson

Chateau Bauduc - Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) – Gavin and Angela Quinney

Domaine Sainte Croix - Corbieres AC (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) – Jon & Elizabeth Bowen

Chateau Monplaisir – Bergerac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) – David and Helen Baxter

Chateau du Seuil  – Graves AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) – Sean and Nicola Allison

However on 8 May 2008 you could indulge in a full day ramble of about 5 miles around the 5 organic vIneyards with the opportunity to taste on the way! Take a picnic lunch and it could be a wonderful day – accompanied by winemakers and finishing at Chateau Haut-Garrigue aka Wild Earth Vineyards run by an Irish couple, Sean and Caroline Feely:-

Saussignac Dessert Wine Seduction 2006 The saussignac botrytis dessert wine is truly a labour of love. The yield from a hectare of Saussignac is about 25% of the yield the same hectare would deliver of dry white. Unfortunately the price is never 4 times but fools like us continue to make it because it is truly exquisite. The grapes are hand-picked (sometimes individually) and deliver up a juice that is golden and heavenly. Once fermented a complex set of aromas develop… I’ll let our tasters give us an inkling of the future… Tasting Notes June 2007: Golden and unctuous. Honey, passion fruit and a hint of almond on the nose. Notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom. Apricot and passion fruit the palate with an intense, long finish. Our tasters also wrote ‘Outstanding’ & ‘this is a €100 a bottle wine’

For more info on the walk see www.hautgarrigue.com

Buy at AllPosters.com

Information on domestic flights in France is not easy to come by, one reason being that Air France has such a dominant position in France and already have flights on most internal routes.
Plus the French market is not as competitive. The French Railway system between major cities is both fast and competitive, especially if starting from Paris.
I have only been able to uncover a couple of airlines which offer domestic flights in France:-
http://www.easyjet.com/ – Toulouse to Lyon, Paris, Nice to Paris; Lyon to Biarritz, Bordeaux; Biarritz to Paris

http://www.twinjet.net/
Toulouse (32 Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse, Brest; Marseille to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse; Paris - Perigueux, Cherbourg

http://www.airlinair.fr/ Brest,(29 Finistere, Brittany) Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), Agen (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine), Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes), Poitiers (86 Vienne, Poitou-Charentes), Brive (19 Correze, Limousin) Beziers (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) etc

http://www.ryanair.com/ now also has links from Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) to Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas de Calais) and Brest (29 Finistere, Brittany)

You can try sites like http://www.expedia.fr/ but even a price comparison site like http://www.baisse-de-prix.com/voyages.php seems to offer little new – it looks like Air France have cornered the market with little opportunity for discounting.

Allez Vins! used to import wines from this domaine when it was run by its previous owners, but now it is being run organically under the title “Wild Earth Vineyards” by the enthusiastic and innovative new owners, Sean and Caroline Feely.

The Grape Escape, our well-equipped 4-person gite (self-catering holiday house) is surrounded by organic vineyards and offers fabulous views across the Dordogne valley. It is semi-detached from the main farmhouse facing onto the courtyard on one side and onto the vines on the two sides built out over the vineyard.

As our guests, you are very welcome to spend time with us to learn about our wine and winemaking, taste our wines and perhaps even take part in vineyard or winery activity depending on the time of year and your energy!

No chance for me to taste their wine yet – they produce red, rosé and white Bergerac AC wines and semi-sweet and botytised dessert Saussignac AC wines. (If you want to try them they will be showing their wines at the Real Food Festival at Earls Court, London from 24-27 April 2008).

For more info on the gite, wines and other offerings contact Chateau Haut Garrigue

See map and more info on the area 

South of the Dordogne river. south-west of the town of Bergerac and just to the east of the border with Aquitaine, Chateau Grinou is situated in the hamlet of MONESTIER. When his father gave up the vineyard Guy and his brother both inherited half of the land, caves and equipment. Unlike his father before and his brother then, Guy decided not to continue to sell wines in bulk to one of the local cooperatives but instead to develop his own domaine and make a name for himself and his wines. Previously he was an international wine lawyer, but now relished the prospect of getting to grips with a vineyard in an area which at that time was dominated by the co-operatives and lived under the shadow of neighbouring Bordeaux.

See map location of Chateau Grinou
CONTACT -
Guy et Catherine CUISSET, Chateau Grinou, 24240 Monestier
Tel: (F)05 53 58 46 63; Fax: 05 53 61 05 66
Email: chateaugrinou@aol.com

CLICK HERE for Location Maps

In the UK a selection of Chateau Grinou wines are available from:-
Private Cellars (www.privatecellar.co.uk)
Corney and Barrow (www.corney-barrow.co.uk)

see map

Audrix :- Saturday*

Beaumont :- Tuesday, Saturday

Belves :- Wednesday pm*, Saturday

Bergerac - Naillac :- Sunday
Bergerac – place de la Madeleine :- Friday
Bergerac – place des 2 Conils :- Wednesday
Bergerac – place du Marche :- Wednesday, Saturday
Bergerac – place Gambetta :- Wednesday, Saturday

Biron :- Wednesday*

Bouzic :- Tuesday eve*

Brantome :- Tuesday*, Friday

Cadouin :- Monday pm*

Domme :- Thursday

Eymet :- Thursday, Tuesday eve*

Issigeac :- Sunday

Le Bugue :- Tuesday, Saturday

Le Buisson-de-Cadouin :- Friday

Les Eyzies-de-Tayac :- Monday

Marquay :- Sunday*

Meyrals :- Thursday, Saturday eve*

Monpazier :- Thursday

Perigueux :- Wednesday, Saturday

Piegut-Pluviers :- Wednesday

Riberac :- Tuesday*, Friday

Salignac :- Tuesday*, Friday pm*

Sarlat-la-Caneda :- Wednesday, Saturday

Siorac-en-Perigord :- Wednesday

St-Amand-de-Coly :- Tuesday eve

St-Aulaye :- Saturday

St-Cyprien :- Sunday

Ste-Alvere :- Saturday*

St-Front-de-Pradoux :- Sunday*

St-Genies :- Sunday

St-Georges-de-Montclard :- Friday eve*

St-Julien-de-Lampon :- Thursday

St-Martial-de-Nabirat :- Thursday eve*

Thenon :- Tuesday

Thiviers :- Tuesday*, Saturday

Vezac :- Monday*

Amongst the vineyards and vignerons we can thoroughly recommend are Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou (Bergerac and Saussignac wines) and Fabrice Feytout at Chateau Beauportail (Pecharmant wines)

Bergerac Tourist Office
Bergerac Wines Official Website