As a nice end of the year outing my school took us on a study trip to Occitanie in the south of France. We visited several vineyards and got to discover their history. Even if the weather was not perfect – at least it was warmer than in Dijon.
Domaine du Haut Lirou
Our first stop was Domaine du Haut Lirou, which was perfect after a long bus ride. As we exited the bus we were greeted by the sounds of the resident peacocks – I had no idea they were that loud. We then had a tour of the property before tasting most of their wines. One of the wines was aged to music, we could feel how the vibrations were going through the tanks aging the wine. We then headed to Montpellier for dinner and drinks at an amazing little bar.
Abbaye de Valmagne
We started the next day at Abbaye de Valmagne. It was originally built in 1138 as a Benedictine monastery. It was bought by Monsieur Granier-Joyeuse in 1791 and used for wine storage. Today you can still see the big barrels that were placed in the church part of the property.
Our guide told us the history as she was walking us through the property. While I did try to listen, I was quickly distracted by all the pretty things to photograph. At one point I walked into a corridor that could have belonged at Hogwarts. At the end of the tour we got to try some of their wines before heading off to lunch.
Domaine de l’Hospitalet
Next up we visited Domaine de l’Hospitalet, one of the bigger producers in the south. The domaine is set in a national park in a beautiful, but windy, location. We did a quick tour of the property before we were brought to the tasting room. Here we sampled a small selection of their extensive portfolio.
Château de Flaugergues
The last stop on our trip was Château de Flaugergues in the outskirts of Montpellier. The main building was built in 1696, and other buildings have been added since then. They also have a beautiful French garden as well as a botanical garden. We were lucky to explore a little of both, in the beautiful sunny weather.
We also visited the wine making facilities. After explaining how the vineyard works it was time to try the wine. We tasted two wines tapped straight from the tanks. These wines were too harsh to drink now, but I am sure they will be delicious when they are done. We then tried a finished white wine – it was delicious and a perfect end to the trip.
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