It’s a good idea to visit a wine museum at least once, especially if you are enjoying a wine tour in Europe. But, you might think that once you’ve visited one you’ve seen them all, and certainly with a few notable exceptions there is a certain element of repetition.

The typical wine museum has a room with charts showing how wine production arrived in that part of the world; a room with Roman or Greek wine relics; another with all manner of vineyard implements ranging from hand ploughs to pruning secateurs and even early sulphur-spraying back-packs; next there will be a room devoted to harvest, usually complete with black and white pictures of jolly harvest parties; a room full of wine presses; the winemaking room with tools for cleaning barrels, fining and so forth (some not that different to the implements shown in medical museums); and finally there might be bottles, labels, glasses and even advertising posters.

Relatively traditional wine museums that I’ve visited recently in France that have a point of difference include a really surprising one in Montmélian in the little wine region of Savoie east of Lyon. In the same building that houses the tourist office of this unassuming town with a mountain view, my first visit there really surprised me. They have several extraordinarily huge old wine presses rescued from various parts of France, along with pertinent displays that demonstrate just how poor the mountain farmers of Savoie were before tourism came along to rescue them. I also recently discovered the fascinating négociant museum of Bordeaux in the revived Chartrons quarter, see my post on the delights of the city of Bordeaux. And, I’m told by Diane LeTulle on my informal twitter and Facebook poll that the Musée du Vin de Bourgogne in Beaune is very interesting these days, with a new take on an appellation map, actually showing the direction of the vine rows on the slope.

Moving away from traditional museums, there are those that, although they incorporate much on the history and heritage of wine, build themselves up to be major tourist attractions, not that there’s anything wrong with that if it encourages wine lovers to learn more. Notable in France is the Duboeuf Hameau du Vin in Beaujolais and – as we’re in Europe – London has Vinopolis, featuring not only interactive features and old artefacts, but some stunning pictures from the Cephas Picture Library who supplies most of the photos on the Wine Travel Guides website. In Rioja, it is Dinastía Vivanco’s Museo de la Cultura del Vino that is becoming a real ‘must-see’ destination for any wine lover visiting Spain. Not only does this museum have the most incredible and vast collection of corkscrews, wine art (from ancient to contemporary including an original Picasso) and wine-related machinery among many other items, it is beautifully displayed with excellently produced, educational videos all housed in a magnificent architectural masterpiece in the heart of the vineyards. And, a visit there can be combined with tasting at the winery and lunch in the very good restaurant.

One of the pioneers of linking art with wine was Baron Philippe de Rothschild who helped make the museum at Château Mouton-Rothschild in Pauillac a Mecca for wine tourists long before the term ‘wine tourism’ was even invented. Currently closed for renovations, it is, of course, known in particular for the displays of original artwork for the château’s  wine labels, each year featuring a different prominent contemporary artist (Picasso among the most famous). Also well established and one of the greatest wine museums in Europe is Lungarotti’s wine museum in Torgiano, Umbria in Italy. Established in 1974 we visited it last year and were enchanted by the amazing collection of ceramics from ancient to ultra-modern; the fantastic, huge number of wine-related engravings and prints (yes, you might have guessed, including Picasso again!); unusual wine books (I could have stayed in that room for ever) and the most original collection of book plates or ‘ex libris’. You should certainly put aside a day for a visit to Torgiano as you can also have an educational tasting at Lungarotti’s tasting room; visit their olive and oil museum (which we had no time for) and eat at or even stay at their traditional hotel-restaurant.

Unsurprisingly France and Italy seem to have the widest range of wine museums – in Puglia in Italy, Hallmark Travels recommends the Leone de Castris museum and James Martin rates the Museo della Civiltà del Vino Primitivo. Back in Spain, Anthony Swift of Wine Pleasures also recommends the private Cava Museum of Raymondo Canals in Catalonia.

Please do add any of your favourite wine museums in Europe into the comments below (if you’ve never posted a comment here, please be patient, I moderate them as quickly as possible). How about good wine museums in Germany, Austria, Portugal, Greece or countries further east? There must be many …

Last week the French minister of tourism presented the first ‘Prix National de l’Oenotourisme’ – wine tourism awards in four different categories and I’m delighted to say that all of them are already included in Wine Travel Guides! There were 260 entrants in all and I would love to get hold of that list. In the meantime, the winners are as follows:

• In the category for the best presented tasting room or winery, the winner was Domaine Cazes in Rivesaltes in the Roussillon region.
• For the best restaurant in a vineyard area, the winner was Olivier Leflaife in Puligny Montrachet in Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune.
• The winner in the category for creating a network of wine tourism resources linked with a regional wine centre was the Route des Vins du Jura (the Jura Wine Route).
• The creation of the ‘Pique-nique chez les vignerons’ event in Alsace won the prize for the promotion of a wine tourism event or feature.

The winners receive a plaque and also – apparently – public relations help with promoting the award. (Needless to say no-one has yet officially contacted Wine Travel Guides about these awards).

Source des Caudalies

As these were the first ever awards, the wine tourism council decided to mention four family wine producers they consider to be pioneers in wine tourism. These producers will also help on the council, which was only formed last year.

• The Duboeuf family for the Hameau du Vin in Beaujolais
• The Cazes family for the Village of Bages near Pauillac, Bordeaux
• The Cathiard family for the Sources de Caudalie spa hotel in Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
• The Maire family for the restaurant Taverne de la Finette in Arbois, Jura

These last four recognitions demonstrate to me quite simply the public relations power of certain wine families in France. I will say no more except that there are other pioneers that could have been selected – let’s hope they will enter next year’s competition and receive just recompense.

The only other similar awards that I know of in Europe are the Great Wine Capitals Awards and these of course only cover one city/wine region per country so, in France that’s Bordeaux.

I do hope these awards encourage more French wine producers to fully embrace the potential of wine tourism. The next task of France’s wine tourism council is to create a new seal of approval awarded to those who fulfil certain designated standards of wine tourism. Applications are being called for now.

In and Out of Africa … in search of Gérard Depardieu by Francis Gimblett

The original inspiration for this book has a sense of the ridiculous about it and frankly, so does the entire book, but it provides an amusing romp through somewhere completely different in the world of wine, North Africa, seen through the eyes of a wine professional. Francis Gimblett has worked in the UK wine trade for over 25 years (as I have), but travelled in different directions. However, one job we’ve both done for several years has been to educate about wine in an entertaining and utterly un-snobbish way; however putting that approach down on paper is not so easy. In describing his journey in search of the best wines of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, Gimblett has found an excuse to do just that, in a typically British self-deprecating way.

The story relates Gimblett’s journey through the three countries, stopping at the most important wineries, aiming at eventually securing a visit to the wineries part-owned by the French actor and wine producer Gérard Depardieu, whom he fears he slighted in a TV show, where he made a joke about his large nose. This frail excuse for a story inspires Gimblett and his rather long-suffering, but very patient friend Philip on their travels from London through France to Tunisia, back to France and onto Morocco via Spain, all in a mainly trustworthy, sturdy Land Rover. A final section sees Gimblett flying over to the potentially dangerous Algeria to complete the trio of North African wine producing countries – he hadn’t been able to drive through to Algeria because of border problems.

Along his journey, Gimblett is often received at wineries with bemusement, especially when he asks to be directed to the nearest campsite (trying to keep the budget down), and he accepts their hospitality graciously when it’s proffered. Frequently, he is served wines and given information by people not allowed to drink alcohol for religious reasons, and has to figure out for himself what makes a particular winery or wine region suitable for wine production. The whole journey is a fascinating read, as Gimblett describes the colourful landscapes and encounters simply, with endearing good humour. In this, his first book, Gimblett styles himself as a Wine Adventurer and it certainly works, in a truly light-hearted manner. There may be more to come.

In Search of Bacchus:  Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism by George M. Taber

Mixed reviews and a poor and unwieldy title made me somewhat doubtful that I would enjoy this book, but after dipping into a couple of test chapters and then, enthusiastically starting again at the beginning, I reached the end, enjoying each part of his journey. The joy of Taber for a start is that he knows how to write clearly and logically, not surprising when you read the biography of this seasoned long-time financial journalist. What Taber is not, contrary to some opinion I’ve read, is a true wine writer; he’s a wine lover who has turned his writing skills to viewing different aspects of the wine world. Each of his three books about the subject (and I have not yet read the first two) has a focus on one particular aspect of the world of wine. This book, aimed neither at wine neophytes nor at wine connoisseurs, places the focus on wine tourism, but it doesn’t stop Taber from dipping into all different aspects of wine from history to geography and the science of winemaking, often in some detail, but always with clear explanations.

There is nothing comprehensive about the choice of wine regions Taber chooses to visit in the course of his six months research, but it does give him and, therefore, his readers, an excellent flavour of wine tourism in Europe and even more so perhaps in all the key New World wine producing countries. In each of the main twelve chapters, corresponding to a different and important wine country, Taber sets the scene for the particular flavour of wine tourism there by discussing either the history of the country, the region, its wines or its general tourism. There are simply told stories of politics, dodgy economies, monks, entrepreneurs, trains and even bungee jumping all of which have some direct relationship with wine tourism in their respective areas. Taber introduces us to a selection of wineries and their owners in each country, discussing their relationship to the wine tourism offering.

Each main chapter is followed by a shorter chapter named Diary of a Wine Tourist including a personal account of an experience that Taber had whilst visiting each country and in these Taber writes in a completely different personal voice that nicely breaks up the book. Undoubtedly, for any experienced wine traveller, Taber’s final visit on his journey, to the wine regions of Georgia are the most exciting as so few of us have been there – it’s definitely inspired me. This is certainly no guide book, nor a real travel book, it is simply a good read that might inspire someone with a love of wine (if not a deep knowledge) to travel beyond his or her comfort zone. It also shows that like wine, wine tourism is quite different the world over.

Disclosure: I paid for both of the above books!

Books from Wine Travel Guides Contributors

Several of the writers for our website are published authors of books on wine, food or travel. I’m very proud to tell you that two books recently published by our writers have been shortlisted for prestigious awards. Michael Edwards’ beautiful book The Finest Wines of Champagne is on the shortlist for the André Simon Awards (a UK award for food and drink books); Paul Strang’s long awaited, meticulously researched book South West France, the Wines and Winemakers is on the shortlist for a Gourmand World Cookbook Award (international, Paris-based organisation).
UPDATE 13th Feb 09: Paul Strang’s book has now been awarded ‘Best Wine Atlas/Wine Tourism Book in the World’ in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

You will find all the above books in our new Wine Travel Guides stores for Amazon (USA) and Amazon (UK). By making your Amazon purchases through the stores, we gain a small commission and you support our website. We are not allowed to show Amazon products in the sidebar of a WordPress blog, and affiliate linking in a post is only allowed in a limited way. Thanks and happy reading!

Last month at the European Wine Bloggers Conference in Lisbon, sponsored by Wines of Portugal along with a host of others, I was part of a panel debating Wine Tourism and Social Media. Much of the debate was taken up with how wine travel in the New World and the Old World differ. Our panel was moderated by American Amy Lillard who owns the small southern France wine producer La Gramière, and she voiced that wine bloggers (and I would add travel bloggers) need to make sure their readers appreciate these differences.

Busy California tasting room ©Brett Jones

Wine tourism has been raised to a fine art or perhaps you could say an industry in New World wine regions, led by California and South Africa. Tasting rooms, shops, a range of options for vineyard and winery tours, picnic areas and children’s facilities may be just some of the offerings, usually at a price. In the Old World, if the wine producer has time to be there and you can communicate sufficiently in each others’ language, you might have the experience of a lifetime with a personal tasting and tour all at no charge. But arguably, there’s a hidden cost. Amy pointed out rightly that small family wineries are often too busy in the winery or the vineyards, or even delivering wines to customers, to be able to look after someone who is simply visiting for the experience of tasting wines in their place of production. You may not have to pay for tasting in the Old World but there might be no dedicated tasting room staff or tasting room, and the producers might simply not have time to receive you. It’s a dilemma that we at Wine Travel Guides try to address by recommending on our guides only producers who welcome independent wine travellers; in most cases we suggest that you make an advance appointment to visit.

Europe is beginning to change slowly as it starts to embrace wine tourism more fully, but many wine producers still believe that the reason for welcoming wine tourists is to sell wine. Anthony Swift of Wine Pleasures, who organises wine tourism events and group tours in Spain, asserts that producers should learn to separate completely the idea of welcoming tourists for a visit from the act of selling wine, and he tries to encourage wineries where he brings groups to accept payment. I totally agree and know that for the independent wine tourist, travelling home by plane, it’s obvious they cannot buy wine at the time, though it’s true if they are given an easy contact to follow up they may well source the same wine they tasted when they get back home.

Bordeaux tasting by appointment ©Brett Jones

It’s only recently that wine producers in Europe have started to look at the wider picture of wine tourism and to treat it as a good public relations activity for not only their own winery, but for their wine region too. Nevertheless, the facilities needed to welcome visitors properly cost money and even more, so does the time for someone to host visitors, and not all producers have this money available. Sunday openings are rare in Europe as family-owned producers use this day to catch up with paperwork and things at home including spending precious time with the next generation of wine producers. To pay for someone to look after the tasting room on a Sunday would also be considerable.

In many New World wine regions, especially California, and in a few in Europe, notably Champagne and more recently Bordeaux, it’s become normal to pay to taste the wines. In some of these wineries, there is a sensible policy that if you buy wine at the winery tasting room/shop (and in Europe this isn’t always possible at high-end wineries), they will refund the tasting fee. On the other hand, traditional wine producers in Europe are worried that they will put off visitors who might be potential buyers, as they have never before levied a charge, so they are still reluctant to do so. In my view, by paying for a tasting, a wine tourist helps contribute to the wine producer’s time, the cost of the facilities and the wines tasted. And, as long as there’s no dumbing down of the welcome and someone who really knows the wines and the winery is there to taste with you and show you around, then a small charge with longer opening hours can only be a good thing for both wine producers and wine tourists.

So, over to you, do you think European family-owned wineries should charge for tasting? And if so, how much on average? Please visit our Facebook page and participate in the poll (you need to become a fan first), and if you have any comments, I would welcome them here.

We have more than 500 recommended European wine producers on Wine Travel Guides who are ready to receive visitors, though many insist on advance appointments. Few currently charge. You can cruise around the site to find them when planning your next wine tour and we provide their visiting hours. To have full access to print the PDF guides you need to join as a Gold Member, and Membership makes an ideal Gift for a wine lover planning a trip to Europe in 2010.

Thanks for reading over the past year and I wish you a fine finish to 2009 and happy planning of your Wine Travels for 2010!

Somontano Vineyards at the foot of the Pyrenees ©CRDO Somontano

For those unfamiliar with the Spanish wine scene, the very name of Somontano (meaning ‘at the foot of the mountains’) may provide a clue to the location of this young Denominación de Origen (DO) referring to its enviable position in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Framed by majestic mountains and the mighty River Vero, the landscape is peppered with vineyards, olive groves and almond trees and winding roads pass small villages that offer visitors charm and tranquillity.

With 13 authorised grape varieties, Somontano produces wines that are distinctive and contemporary. The range boasts several signature wines and a few organic wines, and a couple of the wineries are committed to resurrecting the almost extinct indigenous varieties of Alcañon and Parraleta with the specific aim of producing unique wines that reflect the true terroir of the region. Fresh and fruity, both red and white wines have good acidity and are ideally suited to local cuisine that includes locally raised lamb, cured pork products, hand-made cheese and wonderfully fresh vegetables from the River Vero basin.

Wineries range from traditional, small, family-run bodegas to modern, avant-garde buildings that care as much about their image as they do about their wine. There are 33 wineries dotted across 4,700 hectares of pre-Pyrenean terrain and thanks to the pro-active nature of the DO council and the Ruta del Vino – a non-profit organisation charged with the promotion of the region – around half of these wineries welcome visitors.

The following are two of my favourite winery visits – in both cases English is spoken, visits must be pre-booked and there is a small charge for tasting.
BODEGAS OLVENA
This is one of my favourites as it certainly has the wow factor – an impressive, family-run winery boasting views of rolling vineyards and Pyrenean peaks. Visitors are warmly welcomed and given interesting information in the wine production areas and cellars before moving to the light and airy tasting area to sample a couple of Olvena’s exquisite wines. The red ‘Hache’ is a personal favourite and comes from a vineyard in the shape of an H, hence the name of the wine; ‘hache’ is how the letter H is pronounced in Spanish.

VIÑAS DEL VERO
One of the biggest wineries in Somontano, yet a visit here feels special thanks to the warmth and friendliness of the staff. An added bonus is a visit to the Viñas del Vero boutique winery of Blecua, which is housed in a beautifully renovated 19th century house with an impressive wine cellar. Well made wines to suit all tastes – my personal favourite is the delightfully aromatic Gewürztraminer.

For a meal after your visit try the Casa Samper. This striking restaurant is housed in the refurbished wine cellars of a beautiful, old house tucked away in the tiny village of Salas Altas, yet easy to reach from the wineries mentioned. The modern decor provides a sharp contrast to the traditional architecture but the real attraction is the marvellous food and the genuine friendliness of the owners. A set menu costs just €12 with a la carte around €35 per person. There is an English menu available and English is spoken even though the website is only in Spanish.

The village of Alquézar ©Mick Rock/Cephas

Cosy rural accommodation with views of rolling vineyards and mountain peaks is a strong feature of the tourism offer and to enhance their wine experience, Somontano delivers with a range of cultural, natural and historical highlights. The magnificent scenery of the Sierra de Guara National Park with its dramatic gorges and diverse birdlife; visitor centres proudly exhibiting the culture and history of the region; UNESCO protected, pre-historic cave art and the impressive medieval village of Alquézar, perched precariously above the River Vero canyon, are just a few attractions that can easily be visited. The close proximity to the Pyrenees and the spectacular Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park provide an added bonus.

The Somontano Festival in early August is enjoying increasing success and has seen stars such as Julio Iglesias and Joe Cocker perform in recent years as visitors enjoy fine wine and local tapas. But, whatever the season, Somontano is worth considering for a short break or as part of a longer holiday, to take in the beautiful scenery, warm welcome and relatively unknown wines.

Visit the Ruta del Vino Somontano website for more information about the area, including accommodation, winery visits and how to get there and the official DO website for more about the region’s wines.

Garonne River in Bordeaux

By Wink Lorch

The name Bordeaux conjures up different things to the wine lover: a red or perhaps a white wine; a large and world famous wine region; and to those in the know, a great wine city. After years in the world of wine, I can’t help but know something about the wines, though I’m far from a Bordeaux expert; I have experienced several short trips to Bordeaux’ wine regions, but until early this November I knew virtually nothing of the historic city of Bordeaux.

Bordeaux seems to be enjoying a new lease of life as current mayor Alain Juppé (ex-Prime Minister of France) encourages the administration to continue its programme of investments in renovating and revitalising many old quarters of this very classical French city. On the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites since 2007 the main sights range from fine buildings to churches, museums and the spacious Jardin Public including the botanic gardens. It’s worth staying in the heart of the city – offerings vary from the very smart and pricey Regent Grand Hotel opposite the Grand Théatre down to some very reasonable options. If you have a car it’s definitely best to leave it safely parked up somewhere, for it’s a lovely city to walk around, and if you get tired you can just jump on the ever-expanding tram system.

Le Grand Théatre on Place de la Comédie

It’s not only the old town and the rather grand public buildings that have had makeovers, but also the fascinating Chartrons quarter by the Garonne river. The Quai des Chartrons is lined with old warehouses which used to form the offices and warehouses of the traditional Bordeaux wine merchant families or négociant firms – their nickname was l’aristrocracie des bouchons (the cork aristocracy). Today the Chartrons district buzzes with cafés, craft workshops and is a prized residential area. It is also home to Bordeaux’ wine museum, notable for the fascinating section devoted to how the trading of the négoces (as the word is abbreviated) worked, something that to some extent still effects the way top Bordeaux is sold today.

Few négociants remain in the Chartrons area now, but you can visit their modern equivalent, Millésima at the other end of the city near the station (the other strategic area for merchants to be based from a transport point of view). A fine wine mail-order/internet specialist that sells a full range of Bordeaux wines from the most expensive châteaux downwards, you can tour the huge cellars of Millésima to gaze on row upon row of wooden boxes (they hold around two million bottles of very expensive stock). You can also pre-book an educational tasting of whatever wines you wish to taste …. providing you pay the cost, of course. For anyone in Bordeaux for a spell of time, Millésima also has a wine school offering a programme of tasting events, including sessions matching food with top Bordeaux châteaux wines.

As you might expect, the city boasts a growing number of wine shops and not all are focussed on Bordeaux. In the old town, Cousin & Co has wines from all over France and a few from other countries with friendly staff and friendly prices. A tiny shop Vins et Plus in the up-market Triangle d’Or shopping area offers a rotating stock of 60 wines focussing on organic and small producers. And, among the several shops specializing in top Bordeaux, I looked in on newcomer Max Bordeaux, who’s originality is their offer of a large range of First and Second Growth Châteaux to taste from enomatic machines – a chance for a sip of the greats at a reasonable price.

Wine Bar at the Maison des Vins

Apart from wine shops, the city offers an array of food, fashion, antique and household shops; weekly markets; cafés and restaurants of all shades and prices; and naturellement, there are also plenty of bars to stop at for a glass of wine. The Bordeaux Wine Information Centre has its own wine bar on the very grand ground floor of its offices, close to the city’s main tourist office. Whilst perusing the plentiful information about the wines of the region, you can relax with a monthly changing range of wines by the glass and a snack at any time of day.

Staying there at the invitation of Great Wine Capitals who were holding their AGM in Bordeaux and presenting their prestigious Best Of International Wine Tourism Awards, even in the November rain I just loved this city of wine – the very first ‘Great Wine Capital’. I would urge anyone planning a visit to discover the wines of the Bordeaux region, to allocate some quality time right in the heart of the city.

For more details of some of the places I visited and further recommendations, do take a look at our travel guide to Bordeaux City and its Négociants, written by Jane Anson who also writes the fascinating New Bordeaux blog.

There’s no catch here, but anyone who would like the convenience of downloading the guides as PDFs to plan their wine trip off-line and print pages as required, can purchase the guides at a very reasonable price of £5 (approximately US$8.50 or €5.50) with discounts for multiple guide purchases. A sample PDF guide can be downloaded on registration; for those of you who have already registered, do log in and take a look as we’ve changed the sample to the Southern Graves and Sauternes guide by Jane Anson.

We have also converted our former Gold Subscription to Gold Membership, which allows any of our guides to be downloaded for a full 12 months (meaning you get the latest, updated guide) including any we add in the future. The price has been reduced too – Gold Membership costs just £29 (approximately US$49 or €32). A package of member benefits is also planned, and these should include discounts on other valuable wine and travel related information.

In case you are not familiar with the content on our Guides, our micro-region guides are bite-sized chunks of major wine regions, for example, we have 8 guides to Bordeaux; 5 to the Rhône Valley; 2 to Tuscany (covering only central areas at present) and so on. Each guide (about 10 – 20 pages in PDF form) includes 8 – 12 recommended wine producers to visit; a few places to stay (ranging from top hotels to friendly Bed and Breakfasts); restaurants, shops and attractions, plus a useful aide-memoir of the regional wines including appellations, grape varieties and wine styles. A wealth of information in a small package.

Most importantly of all, our guides are written by a selection of top wine and travel writers, selected because they have the inside track on their regions – some you’ve already seen on this blog, others are also top-class, including three Masters of Wine and several published book authors. We also make a point of updating our guides regularly, once a year at a minimum with tweaks during the year as necessary.

There are no other travel guides to these wine regions which are as authoritative or comprehensive as ours available anywhere else on the web, so please visit the site and tell the rest of the world about our existence. The main idea of these changes is to open up our content to many more independent travellers who love wine. Increased visibility – and let’s be honest about it, revenue – will allow us to expand our guides to other countries and regions in the future.

Thank you for reading this blatant sales blog post.  I felt that it needed to be spelt out as going from 60 pages to over 1500 pages of quality content is pretty big news for a website! I hope you agree and look forward to your reactions to the changes. I promise you that interesting wine and travel posts will resume soon!

The Languedoc-Roussillon, also referred to as ‘Le Midi’, has long been known in France as a giant wine producing region, source of a mass of everyday table wines. But in the past 25 years there’s been an important revolution in the region, which continues today in a more urgent manner as sales of cheap and not-so-cheerful French wines decline both at home and abroad. There are now scores of wineries making excellent wines in the region, which stretches from Montpellier in the east to south of Perpignan and the Spanish border. The region has grouped all its appellation and Vin de Pays wines together recently for marketing under the Sud de France banner.

Mas de Daumas Gassac © Mick Rock

On a visit to the south nearly 20 years ago, I saw the first signs of wine tourism emerging in the region with visits to the California-inspired Skalli winery and the boutique winery Mas de Daumas Gassac; on a visit at the end of last month, I witnessed modern wine tourism in practice at Château l’Hospitalet. What impressed me two decades ago at Skalli was being able to walk through an immaculate working winery that was transforming what used to be undrinkable wine into perfectly pleasant varietal Vin de Pays wines. At Mas de Daumas Gassac, it was being able to tour the stunning vineyards with the inimitable owner, Aimé Guibert and then taste the wines with him in what I recall being a sweet little tasting room, complete with photos and soil samples.

Château l’Hospitalet is one of several Languedoc enterprises where wine tourism has been taken to a new level for France, one which I think is worth emulating by mid-sized wineries in many wine regions of Europe. Two things help Château l’Hospitalet: firstly it has a gorgeous situation nestling amongst 82 hectares (200 acres) of vines, which you can walk through to enjoy a stunning view to the Mediterranean, just 10km away; secondly, its owner is a giant of a man with great ambition, Gérard Bertrand, not just the son of a vigneron, but someone with contacts and influence in many fields, having proved himself first off the vineyard as a team player for the French national rugby team. Bertrand is a believer in both the quality potential of Languedoc wines and in the importance of wine tourism as a way of demonstrating to wine drinkers the connection of the land with the taste of the wines.

Château l'Hospitalet ©Wink Lorch

Bertrand owns no less than five wine estates in the Languedoc-Roussillon: Domaine de Villemajou in Corbières; Château Laville Bertrou in Minervois; Domaine de l’Aigle in Limoux, one of the highest altitude Languedoc vineyards, where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay both do very well; Domaine Cigalus, near Corbières, but classified as a Vin de Pays giving greater flexibility – this is where Bertrand lives with his family and he is currently converting the vineyard from standard organic viticulture to biodynamic methods; and finally the main wine tourism centre, Château l’Hospitalet, situated outside Narbonne in the Languedoc sub-appellation named La Clape after the small range of hills just in from the coast where it located.

Wine Writer Oz Clarke in vines on the Mediterranean ©Wink Lorch

Two days of events put on for a British wine journalist/trade group including Oz Clarke, Giles Fallowfield, myself and a dozen others kept us busy with a couple of strenuous hours’ grape picking at Cigalus and several serious tastings where we sampled a large number of the better wines from Bertrand’s range. I was drawn especially to the Château l’Hospitalet La Clape wines, surely not influenced by us staying there, but you never know. The Château Hospitalet white in particular, made from Bourboulenc, Vermentino and Grenache Blanc was deliciously dry, with a freshness from the sea air perhaps, and herbal characters reminiscent of the Mediterranean garrigue (scrubland) surrounding the vineyards.

Château l’Hospitalet has a hotel, a restaurant, several craft workshops selling local goods and a large wine shop, where visitors can taste and buy the complete range of Gérard Bertrand wines as well as some local food specialities. Surrounded by the vineyards as well as acres of scrubland and pine forests, the recently renovated hotel makes an attractive and useful base for wine visitors. The modern restaurant and bar offer jazz evenings and there is a 3-day jazz festival with international stars each summer. L’Hospitalet is particularly suitable for groups too, for whom special wine seminars and events can be arranged.

Richard James, based in the region, knows much more about the region than I do and his six travel guides on the Languedoc- Roussillon will point you in the direction of the most welcoming Languedoc wine estates to visit. The region is well worth exploring as are the Sud de France wines.

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Gérard Bertrand at Château l’Hospitalet for a harvest weekend.

Cale à Vins in Toulouse © Tom Fiorina

The Canal du Midi, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that was built in the 17th century to connect the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, is an engineering marvel. This masterpiece of structural and hydraulic engineering contains over 91 locks, several aqueduct bridges and dams, and the first canal passage ever built through a tunnel. The canal revolutionized the transport of goods across south-western France until it was made irrelevant by the railroads that replaced it in the late 19th century. Today, it is the most popular pleasure waterway in Europe.

One of the canal’s most scenic sections passes through the city of Toulouse. The plane-tree-lined canal passes directly through the city, allowing the private or rented boats that ply the waterway in the summer to dock close to the city’s museums and other tourist attractions.

As a Toulouse-area resident, I have not floated through the city on one of these long, low boats. I have, however, walked the shady former towpaths that line each side of the canal, creating attractive hiking and cycling routes. It was on one of those walks that I happened upon La Cale à Vins, a classic French péniche, the flat-bottomed river barges used to transport goods. I found out, when I spoke with the boat’s owner, André Fuster, that cale is French for a ship’s hold. La Cale à Vins is a play on words for the French name for a wine shop, une cave à vins.

Since the boat was built in 1920 it has been used successively to transport grain, as a floating library by the city of Toulouse, and by the international medical and humanitarian aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières. It went through the hands of several private owners in the early part of this decade, and following a two-year renovation it emerged as the Oenothilus, a floating wine bar/restaurant/wine shop. The Oenothilus, which specialized in the wines of Southwestern France, made a name for itself as a nice place to drink a glass of wine. From online reviews that I discovered on the Internet, I learned that the food and service seemed to not be up to the quality of the wine, and that the drop in business must have led to the sale, in February of this year, to Fuster.

He has revamped the wine menu so that it includes wine from all over France, along with a few from other countries. Fuster became an oenologist in 1998. He told me that his wine ‘epiphany’ was in 1990 when he tasted a premier cru from Puligny-Montrachet. This wine, he said, made him understand the difference between ‘wine’ and ‘plonk’. His six years working for one of the world’s leading providers of commercial yeasts and bacteria, when he travelled throughout France to visit vineyards, gave him his primary source for his 200-plus list of wines offered at the Cale à Vins. Fuster says that he knows each wine producer personally, and that, unlike most restaurants where you select the wine after having selected a dish, he would like his patrons to first select a wine. Using his first-hand knowledge of the wines that he sells, he can then suggest a dish from the menu.

Forty people can be seated in the inside dining area and on the fore and aft open decks, while a maximum of 120 people can be on-board at one time. Lunch is served Tuesday through Friday and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The food consists of fresh local specialties – charcuterie from Corsica and Spain, foie gras from local producers, a variety of fresh fish, and cheese from the Pyrenees. The winter menu will include more hot dishes. Lunch will cost you, depending on your wine selection, between €15 and €20, while dinner is not much more expensive. The boat can be reserved for private parties as well.

Fuster, who speaks French and English, plans on having a different winemaker present his or her wine each Tuesday evening. His partner, in both business and in life, Nadine Moreau, is helping to organize these wine tasting sessions, which will begin in October.

The wine menu is the size of a textbook, with information about both the wine and the winemaker. From among the more than 200 wines on offer at the Cale à Vins, you’re sure to find, a wine that will please you. And once you have, the expert advice offered by Fuster will pair your wine choice with an equally enjoyable food dish.

The Cale à Vins is moored near the Toulouse city centre at Boulevard Griffoul-Douval, near the Passerelle des Soupirs foot bridge and the Port Saint-Sauveur. The telephone number is +33 (0)5 62 16 39 47 and additional information is available on their website.

Everything seemed yellow on our first wine tour in Collio in north-east Italy, right on the Slovenian border. The sun shone brightly, some of the wines were curiously yellow and the Vespa parked outside our delightful agritourismo in the vineyards was bright yellow too! Unfortunately we were not on a leisurely trip, so we zipped around with four wheels rather than two in order to see as much as we could in a short three days.

Yellow Vespa waiting for wine tourists

Collio, part of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, is well-known to the inner circle of Italian fine wine fans as the source of the country’s very finest white wines. We were lucky that just before our planned visit we were invited to a launch of a new book on Collio’s wine and food by Carla Capalbo, an American living in Italy. This travel guide with a focus on wine and food provided incredible in-depth information, clearly presented and I would highly recommend buying a copy if you plan a visit there. Wine Travel Guides will add guides to this area soon and I’m very much hoping that Carla will be our specialist contributor.

The local Consorzio, who both govern production and promote the wines of Collio, want to encourage wine tourists and supported publication of Carla’s book whilst leaving her a free hand to write as she wanted. Providing a range of Vespas for tourists to rent is also the Consorzio’s initiative, along with plenty of leaflets and maps available in the growing number of excellent agritourismo accommodation, restaurants and, of course, winery tasting rooms that are dotted along the wine route. Incidentally part of the wine route also doubles as the cherry route – something that back in May we enjoyed at each breakfast!

The heart of Collio, around the town of Cormons, is less than a couple of hours east of Venice and we soon discovered it is in deep countryside with the Julian Alps often in view. The views from the wine producers we visited were of rolling hills with forests high up and vineyards with little villages below. For those not used to being in border country, it might seem strange to find that not only do many wine producers in this Italian land speak to each other in Slovenian (or a local Friulian dialect), but when they show you the view, they carefully indicate: “that village is in Slovenia, the few houses next to it are in Italy, the next village is Slovenia …” and so on. Collio is named Brda in Slovenian.

Vineyards in Zegla in the heart of Collio

The predominantly white wines are generally dry and full-flavoured from a range of grape varieties. Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Friulano (formerly named Tocai Friulano) are the best known, though there is good Chardonnay and classy Sauvignon Blanc too, along with a handful of curiosities, most notably Ribolla Gialla, which made in the traditional way with a long maceration on the skins (most unusual for whites) is positively yellow and delicious. Most producers also make a blend which is simply designated as Collio DOC and is often the top of their range. It’s a good thing these white wines are full-flavoured because the hearty local food might, on first taste, call out for red; but persevere and you’ll find the full-bodied whites match really well. My enduring memory of tasting with the wine producers is being served fabulous dried hams (notably from the famous producer Lorenzo d’Osvaldo) and salamis, plus cheeses with great bread and olive oil.

There are few towns of any great size in Collio, the most important being Gorizia (which also has a Slovenian sector called Nova Goricia). We enjoyed exploring the smaller town of Cormons, especially sitting down on a balmy evening outside in the main square for a couple of glasses of wine and a plate of food at the friendly Enoteca di Cormons. We were also told about a joyous wine and food street festival in Cormons that we missed by a day – Fieste da Viarte, which is held on a Sunday at the end of May.

Patrizia Felluga in her vineyard

Back on the food trail, we had a lovely casual lunch at Luka, a trattoria in the important wine village of San Floriano del Collio. Owned by Patrizia Felluga of the famous Felluga wine dynasty, Patrizia also owns her own winery Zuani, producing just two excellent Collio DOC blends, and is the president of the Consorzio. Together with our friendly agritourismo hosts, wine producers Savina and Renato Keber, we also had a fabulous evening out at La Subida, one of the most important restaurants in the region.

La Subida is more than just a restaurant, as they also offer accommodation, have an equestrian centre and an informal trattoria down the road. Eating a meal at the beautiful La Subida restaurant is a real event, in a relaxed environment, with excellent local food and a huge wine list: if you have the budget to splash out, you should definitely seek advice on the wines to choose from the sommelier. The quality of La Subida, of the local white wines and the warm Slovenian-style welcome combine to show that Collio is a real heartland of gastronomy, something that until recently has been perhaps restricted to those ‘in the know’.