One Day Vineyard Tours
Vin en Vacances vineyard tours will introduce you to the amazing wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon and you have a wide choice of vineyard regions to tour including Limoux for sparkling and still white wines, the Corbières where you can also visit the village of Lagrasse, the Minervois for stunning wines, scenery and the village of Minerve and the Cabardès for red wines, truffles and the Black Mountains. The tour details are listed below.
Thanks to all the wonderful people who have come on
our tours we have been voted the premiere attraction in Carcassonne. Read what our clients think of our tours by visiting Tripadvisor
Wine Courses
We also run informal and entertaining 2 hour wine courses in the village of Caunes-Minervoir 20 minutes from Carcassonne. Find out what’s available in 2011….
Wine & Food & Private Dining
If you are holidaying independently in the area why not arrange a wine tasting in the comfort of your holiday home. Or a Private Gourmet Wine & Dine Evening in your holiday home or our private dining room in the heart of Carcassonne. Find out more...
One Day Vineyard Tours
Minerve & the Minervois
The Minervois is a beautiful area of the Languedoc-Roussillon and produces some of the regions finest wines too. This one day tour will introduce you to La Livinière which is not only a very pretty village but also home to the only ‘Cru’ in the Minervois. You should not visit this area without experiencing the beautiful village of Minerve where you will have a little time to explore. You will enjoy a superb lunch, either a lavish picnic made from seasonal local produce or a 3 course meal with wine at one of the country restaurants in the region. This tour also includes olive oil tasting and, after this delightful visit, we will make our way home along a route which winds through the vineyards and olive groves and has the Pyrenees as a magnificent back drop. The price of this tour is 90 euros per person.
Minerve Vineyard Walk and Wine Tasting
We start by heading for the lovely village of Minerve where the walk starts by crossing the elegant arched bridge which takes us into the village. The circular walk takes us past the 'Malvoisine' which is a reconstruction of the massive catapult used by Simon DeMontfort during the siege of the village in 1210. The walk winds up next to the incredible gorge created by the river Cesse and heads off across the dry limestone cause where thyme and rosemary grow wild. We will pass through vineyards and olive groves before returning to Minerve an hour and a half later where we will have lunch. After lunch you will have some time to wander the little streets of Minerve before heading off to one of the excellent domaines of the region where we will taste wines and olive oils produced here. This tour is available in the spring and autumn months only. The price of this tour is 90 euros per person.
Cabardès and the Minervois
The Cabardès is north-west of Carcassonne in the foothills of the Montagne Noire and borders Minervois to the east. This appellation is one of the youngest in France, having only become official in February 1999. It stands out from the rest of the Languedoc because of the grape varieties planted here. In the west the soils suit the Bordelaise grape varieties and in the east typical Languedoc varieties are planted. Here you will taste red wines with excellent structure and wonderful fruit, the hallmark of Cabardès wines. The tour will take you through some stunning countryside on our way to our lunch which is either a lavish picnic made from seasonal local produce or a 3 course meal with wine at one of the country restaurants in the region. Afterwards we head into the Minervois to visit one of the excellent domains where you will taste wine of all colours including some refreshing rosé. The price of this tour is 90 euros per person.
Saint-Chinian
This tour runs on Thursdays and Sundays and includes a visit to the famous market in the town of Saint-Chinian where you will have the chance to wander the stalls and buy some of the delicious produce. The tour also includes tastings at 2 superb wineries and introduces you to the two styles of wine produced here on different terroirs. Lunch is either a lavish picnic made from seasonal and local produce or a 3 course meal with wine at one of the country restaurants. To complete your gastronomic experience at the end of the day we visit a goat farm where we see the goats being milked and have the opportunity to buy fresh goat's cheese. The price of this tour is 90 euros per person.
Fitou & Corbières Tour - New for 2011
Fitou is divided into 2 separate districts, the Montagne and the Oceanic and to reach them we need to take the autroute towards Narbonne and then towards Perpignan. En-route we get to see the lagoons that divide the land from the Mediterranean. When we leave the autoroute we drive through some breath-taking scenery to reach our first domaine – not one of the big producers; in fact one of the tiniest we have ever come across. Just 3.5 hectares! Katie is new to wine making but if her first production is anything to go by she is one to watch. Her vineyards nestle amongst hills that are smothered in
wild herbs and here we will have a splendid picnic amongst the vines before beginning our drive home but this time cross country. Along the way we will call in at a goat farm to taste the produce before arriving at our second vineyard, this time in the Corbières. This is a tour for people who want to experience the wild and remote parts of the Corbières as well as taste wines that have a similar wild and rugged character. The price of this tour is 90 euros per person.
C
orbières and Lagrasse Tour
The Corbières is a region of contrasts where cigales sing and buzzards circle lazily, against a blue sky, over wild, windswept garrigue. The vineyards are perched rocky hillsides and the roads wind round and round as we make our way towards our first vineyard visit which is a family owned vineyard in Monseret. The vineyard is situated in the heart of the Boutenac region, an area dedicated to the culture of the vine since roman times and the only cru in the Corbières. We will take a look at their winery and then taste their superb wines, the reds made from a blend of Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah and the whites from Marsanne and Roussanne. There are some delightful picnic spots in this area where we will enjoy a lavish picnic or we may take lunch at one of the country restaurants. In the afternoon we will visit our second winery, carefully chosen to give you a quite different experience from the morning visit. Our last visit of the day will be to the pretty and historic village of Lagrasse where you will have some free time to explore. The price of this tour is 90 euros per person.
Cathar Castles Vineyard Tour
This tour will delight and amaze you. We have combined so many delightful experiences including the sweet red wines of Maury and the castles of Quéribus and Peyreperteuse. The journey to the region takes about an hour but you are rewarded with fabulous views along the way as the road winds up the Agley valley on our way to the little town of Maury. Here we will visit a small domain owned by a courageous British couple who have swapped their office jobs to follow their dreams and become wine makers. We will taste their excellent wines including the sweet red wine that this region is famous for.
Afterwards we head over the mountains past the castle of Quéribus to the village of Cucugnan where we will enjoy a wonderful auberge lunch before heading for the castle of Peyreperteuse. Bring your walking boots as it’s a bit of a hike up to the castle but you are well rewarded for your efforts. The drive home takes us through the stunning Galamus gorge – the gorge of all gorges! The stunning scenery will amaze you throughout this tour so don’t forget your camera!! The price of this tour is 95 euros per person.
Domaine Gayda & Limoux
This tour includes a visit to Domaine Gayda, one of the leading and most impressive wine producers in the area and a place not to be missed! During the visit we will tour the state of the art winery and learn how the wines are made and matured and we will enjoy a relaxed and fun tasting of their excellent range of wines. This is followed by a three-course lunch with wine in their superb restaurant that overlooks the Pyrenees.
After lunch we will take the short drive to the abbey of St Hilaire where the first sparkling wine was created by the monks in 1531. This is a beautiful abbey and we will spend a little time walking through the cloisters and taking a look at the wine cellar and the other historical buildings. Our final visit of the day will be to taste the sparkling wines that the monks made so famous. There are 2 styles of fizz wines made here, Blanquette du Limoux and Cremant du Limoux and we will taste both styles as well as the Blanquette Ancestral, that delicious sweet sparkling wine – very unusual and very palatable! The price of this tour is 90 euros per person.
Private One-day Tours
We will be delighted to create a tour just for you and your party regardless of how many people are included. We will arrange every detail including transport, visits to vineyards in an area of your choice, restaurant or picnic what ever your preference. Please contact us either before you depart for France or once you are there and we will create a wonderful tour just for you. Prices start from 360 euros.
What's Included in the Tour
The price of your tour includes collection from your hotel or villa within 30 kl of Limoux and Carcassonne. It also includes air-conditioned comfortable transport throughout the tour, visits to the Domaines and Châteaux, wine & food tastings, a delicious lunch or picnic made from local, seasonal produce and your wine tour guide. Unless you book a private tour, the tours will be 'open' and therefore you may be accompanied by other visitors to the area. However the maximum number on each tour is 6 people.
Thanks to all the wonderful people who have come on our tours, we have been voted the premiere attraction in Carcassonne. Read what our clients think of our tours by visiting Tripadvisor