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Now, I thought I knew Bergerac and its wines pretty well, having imported their wines from the earliest days of Allez Vins!, and numerous visits over the last 20 years or so. But truth be told, I probably know about a dozen vineyards in any detail, and I am a fan of the wines of the region which tend to be consistently good (with the exception of some cheap supermarket versions) and usually great value.

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

Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou in Bergerac is an extraordinary winemaker - for years his wines took pride of place on the Allez Vins! wine list both with his “Tradition” wines for superb everyday drinking and his “Reserve” wines, oaked red and white wines of a premium quality but keenly priced (not to mention his oaked dessert Saussignac which is stunning) So I was keen to taste the latest addition to the range - a pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, which has all the hallmarks of a Grinou wine - intense fruit character, crisp and clean but with surprising depth of flavour.

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

Sigoules (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) (see map) south of Bergerac celebrates local wine production on the weekend of 19/20 July 2008 with its Foire aux Vins with all the usual activities including ceremonies, a church mass, banquets, folk music and dancing, concerts - and opportunities to taste the wine and food of the local area which includes the wines of Bergerac AC and the Cotes de Duras AC.

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

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

From 26 to 29 June 2008 , a “wine road” will run along the Garonne river from the historic city centre of Bordeaux through the heart of the Bordeaux region’s vineyards, with wine and local food tastings, son-et-lumiere, music and firework displays.

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

Jancis Robinson in the Financial Times (12 May 08) talks about the growing number of Brits who have followed their dream and bought a vineyard in France.

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

The Saussignac appellation in the western part of the Bergerac vineyard (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) seems to be pioneering organic (bio) vineyards - interesting for an appellation which has only recently been revitalised. Saussignac wines are sweet dessert wines made from Semillon grapes subject to botrytis “noble rot”.

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

Amongst the wealth of good organic produce at the London Real Food Festival (24-27 April 08) several French wine producers will be in attendance offering tastings of their organic wines.
This includes Domaines Schlumberger from Alsace,the Irish-owned Chateau Haut Garrigue (or Wild Earth Vineyards) from Bergerac (South West France) and from the Languedoc Les Clos Perdus.

Les Clos Perdus is a small winery founded by Paul Old and Hugo Stewart based in the village of Peyriac de Mer (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) in the Languedoc region of the South of France.

The name Les Clos Perdus (Lost Vineyards) reflects our discovery of select parcels of old vines, scattered throughout the hillsides. Many of our small vineyards had been disregarded by larger producers because of their isolation, their low cropping potential and their inability to be machine worked.
The selection of grape varieties on particular soils, in differing locations gives the wine the complexities we are looking for.
Our aim is to produce distinctive well balanced wines of the highest quality.

They certainly seem to have hit the mark with recommendations from the likes of Jancis Robinson and listing at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges and the Club Gascon in London.
Interestingly they also list a rare white wine made from the Terret grape - (although currently sold out)
For more info on Les Clos Perdus see www.lesclosperdus.com
For more info on the Real Food Festival see www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/

Waitrose (online and in its stores) launches its French Wine Showcase on 26 March 08 - running through to 27 April 2008 this will feature a total of 48 wines.

As well as our usual French favourites, the showcase will also see the launch of four new wines to the range, including the delightful Taittinger Rose NV and the excellent value Domaine des Eyssards Bergerac Rouge.

Unusually for a major supermarket (and greatly to be welcomed) Waitrose will be featuring 13 specially sourced small parcel wines from a wide range of less well-known appellations such as:

Quincy (crisp Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire), Provence and Lirac (Southern Rhone) and the wonderfully unusual Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles Apremont de Savoie 2007 and La Bastide Blanche Bandol (rich Mourvedre red from east of Marseille).

Waitrose Wine Direct

The organic vineyard of Chateau Haut Garrigue in the village of Saussignac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) near Bergerac has it all - a wonderful situation overlooking the Dordogne valley; a self-contained gite “The Grape Escape”, friendly English-speaking (well, Irish) hosts and a real opportunity to see and learn more about wine and wine-making (if that’s what you want!).

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 

As its name suggest Private Cellar tends to major on en-Primeur and vintage Bordeaux and fine Burgundy, Champagne and Cigars. It is therefore quite something that the only French wines they stock outside the traditional “fine” wine regions are those from Guy Cuisset’s Chateau Grinou in Bergerac, South West France. Well-crafted wines with great intensity of fruit flavour, they were a consistent feature of the Allez Vins! wine list, and one of my regrets at no longer importing wine is that I no longer have easy access to these great value wines, nor the opportunity to talk with Guy about his latest innovations.

Their selection of wines from other parts of the world looks to be equally well selected.

Private Cellar was launched in April 2005 by a team of wine trade professionals determined to provide a unique wine buying experience for wine lovers

Private Cellar
51 High Street, Wicken, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XR
T: 01353 721 999 F: 01353 724 074 e: orders@privatecellar.co.uk
Website: www.privatecellar.co.uk

Since the 1970s the Bergerac Appellation has been revitalised and has now established an identity, character and style of its own. As elsewhere this has been led by the emergence of a younger generation of winemakers such as Guy, and to some extent also by the arrival of foreigners (Hugh Ryman from the UK and various flying winemakers from the southern hemisphere). There are a number of British-owned and run vineyards in the area.
If you go to Monestier, you will look in vain for a Chateau - there are the remains of a wall of a house which once stood on the site. The winery is in a modern barn - insulated from the sun and heat, and easy to keep clean. There is no fancy tasting room (or caveau) - although your welcome in the cellars will be warm and informative. (always check first to ensure that Guy is not out in the vines. some of which are a few kilometres away.
Guy’s vineyards are on the slopes and hills above the river valley - allowing for good drainage and exposure to the sun - so important in producing ripe grapes for wine. When we first met, we found he was one of the first to pick his grapes for white wine at night, so that they avoided the heat and could be transported to the cellars to arrive as fresh and fruity as possible. Now he not only does that but he also immediately blankets the fresh grape juice in inert gas to stop oxidation and retain fruit character and freshness as much as possible.
He believes that the trend is towards concentrating the flavours of wine to produce more sensation on the palate, whilst still retaining the essential character of the grape.
His red wines are certainly more concentrated than many Bergerac reds, with his Réserve red being 100% merlot aged in new oak, and his GRAND VIN (also Merlot) being specifically vinified for ageing.
He produces red and white wines (Tradition and Cuvée Réserve wines which are vinified and/or aged in oak), as well as the sweeter Côtes de Bergerac and sweet Saussignac AC wines.
I look forward to visiting Chateau Grinou every year - I know I will learn something new and be delighted with the development of Guy’s wines.

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)

Englishwoman Patricia Atkinson at Close d’Yvigne has established a name for herself as a writer and a successful winemaker in the Bergerac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - see The Ripening Sun: One Woman and the Creation of a Vineyard and La Belle Saison. However in addition she also has 2 rather grand gites (villas) in the midst of the vines at Gageac et Rouillac (see map).
There are 2 substantial properties available - Le Tabardy which can sleep up to 12 people and Madame Cholet’s Perigord Farmhouse which sleeps up to 8. Both are extremely spacious and well-appointed with large swimming pool.
Situated in the heart of the Bergerac vineyards (which also include Monbazillac, Saussignac, Pecharmant and other appellations) near the Dordogne river with plenty of interesting villages and countryside, there is plenty to see, do, eat (Perigord cuisine) and drink. Even the vineyards and attractive village of St Emilion is only just over an hour away.
For more details see www.cdywine.com

see map

Bergerac on the River Dordogne is the capital of the Dordogne departement.
It was a centre for tobacco production, and is an important wine centre. The appellations of Bergerac, Saussignac, Montravel, Pecharmant and Monbazillac are all near the town on both sides of the river
See location map of Bergerac

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

No this is not some rogue French menu, but on our meanderings through the web we came across another supplier of wonderful French foodstuffs called French Flavour based in Wrexham, North Wales and offering mail order.
What really took our attention was that apart from Garlic Strings, Duck Pate, Cassoulet, Confit de Canard, Trout, Olives, Foie Gras, Trout Soup, Tapenade, Beer, Olive Oils, Wild Boar and Pork Pate they also stock Guy Cuisset’s Saussignac AC, Chateau Grinou..
This small sub-appellation of Bergerac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) produces some superb dessert wines. At ALLEZ VINS! we used to stock this delicious sweet wine, which won a Gold and numerous Silver Medals at the Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge.- a lush dessert wine made from botrytised (noble rot) Sémillon grapes (in the same way as Sauternes and Monbazillac) but retaining huge and vibrant fruitiness - fermented and matured in new oak with real skill by Guy Cuisset. “This is a real find from the far reaches of South west France. A cornucopia of dried apricots and fragrant pear flavours with hints of cinnamon and spice. There is a freshness to the acidity that lifts the wine and gives a purity to the great length”

FrenchFlavour.co.uk also stock an interesting selection of French foods seldom seen elsewhere in the UK - some interesting Trout preparations from the Pyrenees, white and smoked garlic strings and a range of interesting ciders from Picardie.

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