My sister is visiting us from England for a few days, so of course there was a need to show her some of the sights of the region (i.e. some of the local wine makers).

We collected her from Carcassonne yesterday, and on the way back to Fenouillet, we stopped at Seiur D’Arques in Limoux. Mick had always wanted to visit this winery as they make his favourite Blanquette de Limoux – (bubbles made using méthode traditionale).

 

Champagne was developed after Blanquette de Limoux, and copied the method used for making Blanquette. Obviously, the Champagne region has done a better job at marketing its wine than has Limoux, and the prices for the wine varieties is reflected in that marketing. A good blanquette can be purchased for €10 or less.

Today, we returned to a winery in Maury we had visited when our son and his friend were here –  called Serralongue. I phoned the wine maker, Julien Fournier, early in the morning to make an appointment, as they are not always open. We were met by Monsieur Fournier and he invited us into his home (again), and this time we tried the white wine as my sister prefers white wine.

Mick had already decided he was going to buy a case of 6 bottles of the red wine made from 100% carignan grape, his new favourite wine variety, and at only €6 per bottle, it is excellent value.

Although Monsieur Fournier spoke no English, we got on famously and he remembered our previous visit. He enquired after our son and his friend. We had told my sister that it would be a wine tasting with a difference – as it is a very intimate affair – and the size of the sample of wine you are given is almost a full glass. Monsieur Fournier opened a new bottle for us and was happy to let us try as much as we wanted. And, like the last time we were there, he included a free bottle of his rosé with our purchases.

We stopped in Saint-Paul-de Fenouillet for morning tea at the Pouss Cafe and sat outside in the sun. Mick popped into a tiny shop in the same square that was selling the famous Les Croquants biscuits, and we enjoyed one of those with the coffee before heading off for some more wine tasting.

Mick and I were keen to try a new winery, so we stopped at the very modern looking Thunevin-Calvet which is located on the outskirts of Maury.

And what an experience that was, very different from the intimate meeting with Monsieur Fournier, but we were the only customers and we were treated like special guests.

A delightful young woman, who could speak excellent English, spent almost an hour with us and had us taste a large range of the wines made by this winemaker. The prices varied from €9 to €100 per bottle. She asked if we’d prefer to speak in French or English and before anyone else could answer, I said French. It was fun.

The good tasting notes (in English) about each type of wine, helped us all significantly as well.

She took us on a tour of the extremely modern winery, which hadsstainless steel vats for the white and rosé wines, and large cement tanks for the red wines. The whole complex is powered by solar panels, and is kept at the correct temperature using sophisticated cooling techniques, adapted from Canada.

(We think!!) Remember she was explaining all this in French, and although she spoke slowly she probably didn’t achieve her goal of us understanding everything.

But, one thing she did achieve was to sell Mick the most expensive wine he has ever bought in his life – it cost him €75. She twisted his arm and suggested it should be for Valentine’s Day.

However, it was the taste that convinced him – the best wine he’d ever tasted.

It was so special that it came in its own wooden box.

By the time we got home, we had a fairly good supply of wine that should last us for the remaining 4 weeks we have here.

Perhaps!!