My Life in Languedoc #4 - A memoir in Chapters

One of the things I enjoyed most in the early days of my new business, was designing tours. I loved discovering routes that passed through the most stunning scenery and would spend days seeking out-of-the-way hidden places. I wanted to take people off the beaten track to show them things they wouldn’t easily find for themselves. From the beginning I decided to include things other than wine such as historical villages and foodie visits to honey, olive oil and cheese producers. It was also a given that a traditional Languedoc lunch would be part of the day and it must be made with fresh seasonal produce. I decided my range of tours would be based on the several wine districts that surround Carcassonne. I also knew from the get-go that I would design a tour around an incredible winery called Domaine Gayda.

I truly believe it was fate that made me enter a wine tasting competition in London back in 2007 which resulted in an invitation to Languedoc that changed the course of my life. There I met Tim Ford, the man behind the competition and the managing director of Domaine Gayda and it was he who opened up all the possibilities to all that came later.

When I met Tim his winery was in its fourth year. He’d built a beautifully designed traditional style building made from reclaimed local stone making it look like it had stood on that hill facing the majestic Pyrenees for ever. However inside it gleamed with new stainless-steel tanks and impressive modern equipment. He had modelled the estate on something you would find in South Africa and included a restaurant alongside the tasting room. Although such places were common in the New World, back then it was a one-off in Languedoc. It sat alongside tumble-down old wineries whose owners gave no thought to enticing people in to taste and buy wine.

I spent a wonderful weekend with Tim and his wife Barbara and as I was leaving Tim invited me back that September to be part of the team working in the winery during the harvest. I knew the theory of wine making, I’d passed exams on it, but this would be my chance to experience first-hand how wine is made. Returning to Languedoc felt like coming back to see old friends and I loved every minute of it. I learnt a lot about wine making especially how much hard work it takes and I also got to know the region better. While I was there the seed of an idea to start a wine tour business lodged itself in my head and before leaving I shared my dream with Tim. As I drove back to England something Tim had said played optimistically over and over in my head.

‘If you come back and start that tour business, remember you are always welcome at Gayda, in fact treat it as your own, you’re part of the team now.’

The Domine Gayda & Limoux tour became a favourite with my customers, especially as we didn’t need to be accompanied by a member of staff as I would lead the tour myself. I could recount first-hand stories about my time working there, explaining how I sorted the grapes and monitored the fermentations. I also ran the tastings myself then afterwards we’d enjoy a fabulous lunch in Gayda’s restaurant while gazing at the breath taking Pyrenees.

I had a formula for my tours; a morning winery visit & tasting, followed by lunch, followed by another winery visit and we’d finish off with something cultural or foodie. Because Domaine Gayda sits next door to the Limoux wine region it made sense to include it but I didn’t think I knew much about the Limoux area until I recalled something from my study days at Coventry University. The curriculum had hardly mentioned Languedoc, in fact I think only half a measly page was dedicated to the largest vineyard in France. However sparkling wine and Champagne had a whole module which included a wine called Blanquette Ancestral which proclaimed to be the world’s first sparkling wine.

Legend has it that the winter of 1531 was a cold one with temperatures so low that the fermentation stopped. The monks didn’t realise the temperature sensitive yeast had simply gone to sleep and went ahead and bottled the wine. Not realising sugar and that the yeast were still present but sleeping soundly all winter, only waking when temperatures rose in springtime. The warmth kicked off the fermentation again which produced CO₂ that couldn’t escape from the bottles so dissolved into the wine and made it fizzy. Many of the bottles exploded but when those that remained intact were sold to the people of Limoux they loved what they called ‘lively’ wine.

The monks figured out what had happened and henceforth replicated the production method by chilling the wine to stop the ferment before bottling, then waiting for the spring weather to do its magic. The story has an interesting ending because about a century or so later, news of this fizz came to the ears of another monk who was living in the north of France. His name was Dom Pérignon and the rest, as they say, is history..!

For some reason the legend had stuck in my mind and although I remembered the name of the abbey, I couldn’t recall its location so I was thrilled to discover it was in Limoux. I rushed over to pay a visit to the little abbey which brims with history and a warm welcome. I wandered around the church and medieval buildings, spent time the peaceful cloisters but going into the actual cellar where it all happened was the icing on the cake. I knew straight away it would be the perfect cultural visit to include in my very special Domaine Gayda & Limoux tour.