Quaff Drops
The quarterly newsletter from The Wine Wise Company
Welcome to the first 2010 edition of Quaff Drops. 2009 was a busy year for us and we would like to extend our thanks to you our loyal customers. This year has also started with a flurry of requests for wine courses, tasting parties and vineyard tours and we look forward to meeting many of you at these events.
At this time of year we traditionally think about warmer months and start to plan a holiday and if your thoughts have turned to France I can think of no better place to visit than the Languedoc and this edition of Quaff Drops features some superb places to stay in the region. Sarah has reviewed a lovely restaurant in Henley-in-Arden and we bring you news of courses in Warwick and vineyard tours in the Languedoc-Roussillon.
Places to stay in the Languedoc-Roussillon
This relatively little known region of southern France is an ideal place for a holiday or short break. This beautiful landscape nestled between the Pyrénées, the Mediterranean and the Montagne Noire has just about everything you could want. One of the main departments in this part of the world is the Aude which wears a crown that has at least two jewels - the medieval cite of Carcassonne and the Canal du Midi. Clustered around them are some stunning places such as the villages of Minerve in the Minervois region and Lagrasse in the Corbières where you will also find Cathar castles. There is a great variety of places to stay to suit all tastes.
In Carcassonne if you like chic, classy and central then 42 rue victor hugo will excite you. This stylish boutique guesthouse provides luxury accommodation and a wonderful host Peter who will look after you with flair and great attention to detail. Peter runs some themed breaks including gourmet cooking weekends where under Peter’s expert guidance you can learn to make a range of classic French dishes.
Or how about staying in the heart of the medieval Cité of Carcassonne? There are some sumptuous hotels here but hidden down a narrow pathway is L'Echappee Belle a delightful little B&B. It’s ideally placed for you to enjoy all that La Cité has to offer including the Summer Festival de Carcassonne.
The Minervois provides a vast range of places to stay in the countryside or one of the pretty villages in the region. Domaine de Palatz is about 20 minutes from Carcassonne and offers excellent gîtes and B&B accommodation in a converted barn. Le Vieux Relais is an old coaching inn and now a B&B ran by an English couple Mike & Val offers excellent accommodation in the village of Pepieux. Mikes roast lamb is to die for so make sure you stay for dinner at least one night. Villa des Rosiers is a delightful, newly-refurbished villa surrounded by vineyards and with great views of the Montagnes Noire. It offers generous, superior accommodation including the shady loggia overlooking the pool.
Our House in France is owned by Australians Marilyn and Steve Capper who have restored 3 beautiful cottages in the tiny village of Trausse. If its something bigger you’re looking for Parc de Lignieres also in Trausse is a traditional 17th century Maison de Maitre with five double bedrooms sleeping 12 comfortably and with a large swimming pool. Or how about staying in a French Manoir? Manoir Theron sleeps up to 12 persons in 6 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom or shower room and also has a superb pool.
The Corbières region of the Aude offers wild craggy countryside and 
wonderful sandy beaches plus many pretty villages, historical places and Cathar castles. Le Castel Enchante is only 3km from the Medieval Cite of Carcassonne and offers comfortable accommodation from as little as 35€. Further into the Corbières is Domaine de Graffan, a luxurious property that offers accommodation for up to 12 guests in 6 bedrooms.
You must not miss the village of Lagrasse. Surrounded by vineyards with views to the Pyrénées the village has a superb market square, narrow cobbled streets, and across the river is the Abbey of Lagrasse.Holidays-Lagrasse offers 3 Luxury Gîtes with riverside garden that offer an ideal year-round base to enjoy peaceful Lagrasse with its restaurants, artists and cobbled streets.
The Limoux and Malepère region are close together and both offer beautiful rolling countryside a little like Tuscany. Domaine des Etoiles is located in the picturesque hilltop village of Routier and it’s just like staying in a large friendly family home. A warm welcome awaits you at B&B Colours of Pays Cathare set in a traditional village house full of charm and character and located between Carcassonne and Limoux.
And if you’re looking for splendor how about a private château - Tournou le
Haut can be found on a hilltop in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It has been lovingly restored and expanded into a modern year-round residence with a massive wine cellar an infinity pool. The "Great Room" has a huge fireplace and there are six bedrooms – sheer luxury!
This is just a peek at some of the accommodation available in this beautiful place and for more suggestions take a look at the selection highlighted at Places to Stay in the Languedoc on our web site.
Vineyard Tours
If you do decide to visit the region we hope you will consider a day 
touring the vineyards with Vin en Vacances. This year we have 6 tours for you to choose from including a tour to the Roussillon to taste the superb sweet red wine Maury and see some of the Cathar castles. Two of our most popular tours are to the Minervois for wine and olive oil tasting and the Corbières for wine and honey tasting. We also offer tours to the Cabardès, Limoux and Malepère. The tours cost 70 euros per person which includes collection from your holiday home in our air-conditioned Espace, all the tastings and a 3 course lunch at one of the lovely little restaurants in the region or a vineyard picnic. You can arrange your tour before you set off on holiday, just post an email to wendy@vinenvacances.com and she will arrange it all for you.
We also offer vineyard tour weekends and this year we have joined forces with Le Vieux Relais to bring
you a long weekend tour of the vineyards in the Languedoc. Wendy will be your guide and mentor exploring the vineyards, tasting and sampling wonderful wines and introducing you to some of the interesting characters and history in the region!
At the end of each glorious day, a warm welcome awaits you at Le Vieux Relais, a beautifully restored 18th century coaching inn with courtyard garden and swimming pool. This is a fully inclusive tour and offers superb value from only £485 per person and is running in May, June and September. Take a look at the details of this superb value tour and either book on-line or call Wendy on 07880 796786.
Wine Tasting Courses
As usual we will be running wine courses throughout the year at various venues. Starting on February 27th we will be running a Wine Appreciation course over 3 consecutive Saturdays at Underwoods Wine warehouse. This is an excellent course for anyone who wants to know more about the fascinating subject of wine and how to taste it. We have combined this course with the WSET Intermediate Course so if you want to take it a little more seriously this course has the option of an exam.
Wine Appreciation February 27th - March 13th
WSET Intermediate February 27th - March 13th
Happy Quaffing!
Wendy, Sarah and Lena
Wine Tasting Courses
As usual we will be running wine courses throughout the year at various venues. Starting on February 27th we will be running a Wine Appreciation course over 3 consecutive Saturdays at Underwoods Wine warehouse. This is an excellent course for anyone who wants to know more about the fascinating subject of wine and how to taste it. We have combined this course with the WSET Intermediate Course so if you want to take it a little more seriously this course has the option of an exam.