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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 

The Bristol Wine and Food Fair (11-13 July 2008) seems to have been a great success - lots of interest and many interesting exhibitors, including the English-owned vineyard at Domaine Chater in the Côtes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine):-

Domaine Chater is a small vineyard that nestles in the rolling hills around the historic town of Duras in South-West France. We are passionate about making great wines and no compromises are made in the vineyard or the winery. Our white wines are refreshing and full of fruit while our reds are complex with layers of fruit and spice. Our range of wines has already won a huge amount of international recognition.

Although they only began producing wine in 2004, they have enjoyed significant success in gaining recognition for the quality of their wines. The Cotes de Duras is particularly renown for its Sauvignon Blancs, which they do indeed produce good Sauvignon, but unusually for the region their Cabernet and Merlot reds have drawn most praise:-

….two styles of red wines are produced at Domaine Chater; traditional (a majority of the wine aged in our stainless steel tanks) and oak aged (made from old vines and aged in 100% French Oak). Our traditional wines have the emphasis upon rich fruit flavours with subtle tannins and are great with red meat dishes. Chater oak aged wines are made with 40-year old vines and barrel-aged for 12 months in French oak barrels with one-third of the barrels being renewed every year - producing complex wines with layers of fruit, liquorice and spice. Great with red meat and rich sauces.

Importantly their wines are consistently rated by the Guide Hachette des Vins de France - what many consider to be the French wine bible, as entries are secured by blind tastings rather than paid adverts.

You can order online direct from France as they have a UK warehouse - and you can visit the domaine in St Sernin-de-Duras - just give them a call beforehand to ensure someone is around.

Domaine Chater
Vignoble de la Lègue, 47120 St Sernin de Duras, France (see map)
T:0033 553 64 67 14
Email: info@domainechater.com

For more info on the Côtes de Duras wine region see www.cotesdeduras.com

For the diary; Domaine Chater will be at the Duras Wine Festival on 10 August 2008 - see www.paysdeduras.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

The problem (and delight) of South West France is that there are so many areas to explore, and often renting a gite can be so delightful that getting out and exploring might be limited to the nearest town and trips for French Bread, a bar and an ocassional restaurant.
However, an English couple (Jason and Michelle) have established a Motorhome (or motor caravan as I used to call them) Hire centre at St Avit (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) south of Duras

(see map)

Evolution will plan your itinerary for you or advise you on your existing route. If you’re a lover of fishing, walking, wine tasting etc.a personalised route planner to suit your needs can be arranged for the duration of your vacation. We will provide details of recommended camp sites.

You’ll never get lost…
We provide an on-board ready-to-use GPS navigation system. We’re on-call with a 24/7 helpline with English spoken… We can provide liaison with reputable local property agents for those seeking to purchase property in the area. Cycle and leisure equipment hire is also available. Evolution caters for all-year round rental, with winter skiing resorts only a leisurely 3 hour drive south, a little further will take you to the winter warmth of Spain.

So you can avoid the long road trip through France, fly into Bergerac or Bordeaux or take the train - they will meet you at the airport or station and you’re off free to explore this rich and varied area.And with French number plates you might even get a bit more respect on the road!

For more info see www.evolutionmotorhomes.com

Personally I have never liked the idea of investing in wine as a financial game - if a wine is good it should be drunk not kept in dark cellars and mainly featuring on someone’s spreadsheet or auction catalogue.
But many of us do harbour the dream of having our own vineyard and living the bucolic or stylish life we assume goes with it. My experience suggests that you need to be a chemist (and an alchemist), farmer, labourer, mathematician, warehouse operative with some business and marketing acumen thrown in. You do need to know what you are doing; it can be back-breakingly hard work; the stresses of the uncertainties of the weather, the market, pests and diseases could dent the otherwise attractive liefstyle choice.

Another way is to invest in vines. Several companies offer the opportunity to “rent a row of vines”, Wineshare is one such company, offering rather more than the nominal ownership of vines on some distant vineyard - they actually offer real opportunities to get involved and feel as though you are a part of it - visits, tastings and events at the vineyard and tastings in the UK make this more than just a financial investment - it could also make a great gift for any wine lover (prices start at £75).You can even go and pick the grapes!!
Wineshare has vineyards in Italy(Tuscany) and three in France:-
Chateau de Pizay in Beaujolais
Château Constantin-Chevalier in Provence
Domaine du Grand Mayne in the Côtes de Duras, South West France

For more info see

Down in the deep South West this month you can enjoy the St Mont wine festival (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) 24-26 March 2006,
“The epic story of Saint-Mont vineyards began in the fourth century BC, when first plants were imported by the Greeks” . In 1050 the Saint-Mont Abbey was founded by Benedictine monks. who often seem to be attracted to wine-making and so the appellation developed and these ‘fine wines from Gascony’ were exported to the United Kingdom as early as the 14th century.
Today the appellation is dominated by the Plaimont Co-operative, one of the best, most innovative co-ops in France, where production is lead by consideration of quality rather than quantity.
Local grape varieties dominate - St Mont reds and rose ae made from Tannat, Pinenc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon; the whites from Arrufiac, Petit Courbu, Petit and Gros Manseng, Colombard and Ugni-Blanc. The reds tend towards the tannic, albeit with good fruit balance; the whites are fresh and crisp - I have never had a bad wine from Plaimont.
Numerous festivities take place over this weekend, including wine tasting, discovery trails, music and dancing! - see www.plaimont.com

UK stockists include Haynes, Hanson & Clark at Stow-on-the Wold and London.

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Keywords: St Mont, Gers,Plaimont,Stow-on-the-Wold,Midi-Pyrenees