Alfonz scouted the area looking for wineries for our Capestang wine tour. Daily, he jumped on his BMW motorbike, now a well known fixture throughout our village and searched for the ideal places to show tourists. Criteria was being close to the Canal du Midi offering Capestang’s visitors an option to visit Chateaus during their over-night stays. Whether in canal boats or gite rentals, people without vehicle access can sample a variety of well tasting wines giving them a good cross section of the Languedoc flavours.
He wanted to find the ideal locations, maybe with some history and of course good wine. Many places he visited had fabulous wines, made from microbreweries in the back of a house. Others had charming hosts and great atmosphere, but only produced one or two varieties to sample.
To find the full experience for guests, Alfonz searched for a range of what the Languedoc grape produces. Alfonz wanted tourists to understand why we moved to this beautiful region in south France, and show off her charm.
After a few weeks of hunting, Alfonz has narrowed down the best in the region for South Westy Wine Tours.
Here are his top two picks for our all-day tour.
Domain de la Provenquiere, located moments outside of Capestang, has a rich story behind the wine. Where Napoleon the third’s Counselor, Paul Teissonniere, bought the estate in 1860 and built the Chateau along with the outbuildings. Surrounded by miles of wines, in the picturesque open countryside, there are many photo opportunities, as well as a large variety of wines to try and to buy. The brother and sister team run the estate. Claude Robert known for his knowledge in the industry and Brigitte Robert known for her lovely charming personality. They run a well-known business, with a good reputation, making them a great stop on our tour.
Vanho, located in Capestang in the Languedoc wine region, among the most densely populated wine country in the world, is a true find. Guy and Patricia moved to the Languedoc in 1996 from Belgium and bought the Domaine in 2000 to fulfill their dream to make good wine and living in France. Rigorous selection in the vineyards, low yields, respect of the environment, together with hand picking and sorting, allow the wines of Vanho to express their own individual flavours.
Using the best traditional methods, aged in oak barrels and bottles at the property, the wines of both Provenquiere and Vanho will give you a pleasurable tasting experience.
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Pick up is at the tourist office along the world heritage site, the Canal du Midi. Alfonz will be waiting for you in his Blue Viano Van, ready to show you the sites. Visiting two different vineyards, our tour starts at 11:30. First we head to Vanho winery where we sit for a traditional Languedoc style lunch paired with their specialty vintage wines to taste and perhaps purchase at our first vineyard.
Once finished, on our way to the Domain de la Provenquiere, we make a short stop at a beautiful lookout overlooking the countryside near Montady. There are plenty of picture opportunities as our last stop dates back over 5 centuries and the grounds are simply stunning with many original structures to look at.
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Price 200/Euros for up to 6 people + 15Euros/person for lunch paid to the vineyard.
Most vineyards offer a discount price at the winery and also bulk pricing. With loads of trunk space, Alfonz will get your wine back with you safely.
Finish time is approximately 5:00pm, where Alfonz can drop you either back at the tourist office where your boat is docked or directly to your rental.
We are open to special arranged tours of wineries of your choice, need 24 hours notice (but sometimes less) to arrange our tours with our selected wineries and to accommodate weather permitting lunch plans. Alfonz can point you in the right direction for alternative lunch and dinner plans, and will happily get you to there.
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visit www.south-westy.com to check out our castle tours. The famous Carcassonne Castle tour, or Minerve the little village gushing with history clinging to the side of the gorge.
