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It was in the hot days of late June that we had the chance to call in on Caroline and Sean Feely at Chateau Haut Garrigue in Bergerac (24, Dordogne, Aquitaine), a warm and welcome memory on cold miserable winter days. An unlikely combination of Ireland, South Africa and rural France has created an organic vineyard which is rapidly gaining a reputation for the quality of its wines - and an innovative approach to promoting both the appellation and the organic ethos.

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

The wines of the Jura are seldom seen and little known in the UK. These wines can be quite distinctive and in addition to familiar grape varietals such as Chardonnay they also use local grapes such as Savignin ( a cousin of Alsace Gewurztraminer), and Poulsard, a distant relative of Pinot Noir.

Jura Wine is a specialist independent wine merchant in Birmingham who specialises in the wines of the Jura - and specifically the wines of Domaine Tissot.

Jurawine collects the wines in person from our supplier, Domaine Tissot and arranges courier delivery to you throughout the UK.
Jura is part of the region known as Franche Comte and lies in eastern central France between Burgundy & Switzerland. This beautiful area has fine gastronomic traditions, including unusual wine festivals

Specialities of the region include “Vin de Paille” (straw wine), where the grapes are laid out on straw mats to shrivel and concentrate the juices producing delicious, long-lasting sweet wines; and Vin Jaune (yellow wine) which is made from Savignin grapes in a manner similar to Sherry!
Jura Wine - , 1 Augusta Rd, Acocks Green, BIRMINGHAM, B27 6LA
E-Mail: jurae@jurawine.com Tel: 0121 243 4042 Mbl: 07850 845518 Fax: 07092 888372

Another merchant who specialises in Jura & neighbouring Arbois wines (and others including Gaillac and Languedoc) is Devigne Wines (and Confit Direct) in Edinburgh (Tel: 0131 664 9058
Fax: 05600 756287, info@devignewines.co.uk)

A good starting point for getting to know the region and its wines could be John & Carolyn Scallan at their B&B at Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone et Loire, Bourgogne)

See our customised, searchable map of the region

For more info on the wines of the Jura see the official Wines of the Jura site

The Languedoc is such a rich region to visit and explore - wine, history, food, glorious and diverse landscapes.

But to get the best out of it you can always do with a knowledgeable guide to help to discover the best - and that is what tour organisers Wine and Food experiences in the Languedoc propose. They offer “epicurean tours for all the senses.”
Their information-packed website offers plenty of choices - B&B accommodation, vineyard visits, restaurants - all of which can be tailored into a package to suit your preferences.

Our tours are geared towards wine enthusiasts who want to visit wine domaines and learn more about the wines in a relaxed, fun way. Rather than being a whistle-stop tour of numerous producers in one day, we take time at each visit to taste through the wines and chat to producers about what they do and why. Vineyard walks and tastings amongst the vines are also included in the itineraries so there is ample time to enjoy the stunning scenery as well as to understand the terroir that makes each wine unique.

As a flavour of what is on offer, the site includes articles and links to many of the best vineyards in the region - such as Chateau St Martin de la Garrigue  at Montagnac (34 Hérault, Languedoc) in the Coteaux du Languedoc (who also produce the crisp white Picpoul de Pinet); Antech in Limoux (11 Aude, Languedoc) ( who call themselves Maistres Blanquetiers - Master Blanquette producers - the “oldest” sparkling wine in the world made from the Mauzac grape: and Domaine l’Hortus at  Valflaunès (34 Herault, Languedoc) in the Pic St Loup appellation

For more info see www.wine-food-languedoc.com