Welcome to the April edition of
Quaff Drops
This is the first edition of Quaff Drops to come to you from France. Those of you who have been following my exploits will know that I left England on March 31st for a 6 month stint in the Languedoc region of France. My first month will be spent attending French language school so hopefully after such an intensive course I will be able to communicate a lot better. My main reason for being here is to run vineyard tours and this year I am offering day tours to tourists in the region. I will also be spending time meeting with vineyard owners, exploring the region and seeking out more hidden gems to include in the tours this year and in the future. So if you’re in the area between now and October 1st please come and look me up.
This months edition of Quaff Drops welcome back Sarah Long and includes her wine of the month which I know many of you have missed. This month she is reviewing a favourite wine style of mine Sherry. Lena will be entertaining us with her Just a Sip column and I have written about Faugeres for the Languedoc Masterclass. We also bring you news of upcoming event s and a special offer for vineyard tours booked during July.
Wendy Gedney AIWS
Forth coming Courses & Events
Birmingham
There are still a few places on the Spanish Wines course running on April 9th at The Crescent Theatre in Brindley Place. Sarah Long will be taking you through some of the most important regions and tasting 8 superb wines includes Rioja and Ribero del Duero. In May Sarah is running a South American Wines course and this will be our last tasting in Birmingham until September.
Spanish Wines – 9th April
South American Wines – 14th May
France
May 22 – 26 Wine Growing and Making Course
This four day Wine Growing & Making Course is taking place in the Languedoc in southern France commencing 22nd May. This is your chance to meet some of the wonderful wine makers in the region and learn how they grow and make their wines. This is very much a course on the move and will not be based in a class room. We will visit at least 2 vineyards each day in the Minervois, Cabardès and Corbières regions and the course also includes a tutored tasting session with Matthew Stubbs MW. This is not only a course but also a short holiday as you will be staying at a lovely guest house complete with swimming pool set amongst the vineyards of the Minervois. The weekend is fully inclusive and includes your accommodation, all your meals, transport throughout the weekend, the vineyard visits and tastings and is excellent value at £595 per person. All you need to do is arrange your flight with Ryanair. This course will be fun, relaxing and very informative and includes some free time to enjoy some sightseeing. If you are interested in joining the course either book on-line using Paypal or if you would rather discuss the course and book by telephone please contact Wendy on 07880 796786.
July Vineyard Tour – Special offer
We have a special offer for July 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th but only have room for 2 people sharing a room. This tour is of the Minerve & Corbières and is one of our favourites. It includes some very special visits such as
Domaine Gayda where you will taste some excellent Vin du Pays and enjoy lunch at their very special restaurant, Rives-Blanques a wonderful vineyard producing award winning Limoux wines and our dear friends at Clos du Gravillas in the Minerve. For more details take a look at the itinerary on our web site. Usually our price includes B & B accommodation however for this tour we are offering accommodation at the superb boutique hotel Le Domaine aux Quat’Saison. With this accommodation the tour would normally be priced at £675 per person so this special offer of £550 per person is excellent value. To secure this special offer call Wendy on 07880 796786.
Languedoc Masterclass – Faugères
This vineyard area is possibly the most promising of all the vineyard regions in the Languedoc. The majority of the vineyards are situated in relatively high altitudes on schist soils and in the foothills of the Cévennes near Béziers. These soils make viticulture hard work but for those who persevere they are well rewarded. Schist is hard, brittle and coarsely formed rock that easily crumbles and is made up of layers which form horizontally and diagonally. This forces the vine to send its root systems deep into the ground in search of moisture and along the way picking up nutrients that are said to flavour the wines. The soil also absorbs heat which is reflected back up at the vine during the cold nights and this helps to ripen the fruit. It is an uncommon rock type amongst vineyards however some of the finest wines are grown on these soils such as Port, Côte Rôtie and Priorat. Until 2004 the appellation was for red and rosé wines only but since then white Faugères is allowed and is made from Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Vermentino. Carignan is still often used as part of the blend for reds but it is in decline here and other Mediterranean grape varieties Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre are mandatory. The wines are a cross between a southern Rhône and a more rustic Corbières and are some of the most consistently good available in this region. They tend to be round and full bodied with flavours of raspberries and blackcurrants and although some are not oaked they can fool you with their flavour of vanilla. At our annual Christmas dinner last year we featured a Faugères from Leon Barral. The wines are produced by the son of Leon, Didier who is a youthful, rebellious young man with firm ideas of how wine should be made and grown. He believes that good wine is made in the vineyard and not in the winery and to this end he has adopted organic and some biodynamic methods. In his words ‘All you need is a north wind and an old moon.’
Article by Wendy Gedney AIWS
Happy Quaffing!
Wendy, Sarah and Lena