The Treading the Grape Party

With only 30 miles of optional walking, this is really a wine tasting holiday. The walks, however brief, do go some of the way to justify indulging daily in top quality food and drink. Based at the Chateau La Leotardie and Le Vert, a manor house, the one in the heart of the Dordogne, the other in the heart of the Quercy, this is the perfect holiday for wine lovers and those who would like to know much more about excellent wines from south-west France. Of course as this takes place during the ‘vendange’ season there will be lots of action in the vineyards too.

James knows these wines very well and those taken with dinner will be from his own carefully curated cellar. Visiting at least 7 vineyards you will take in the very best of the region’s wines including the sweet whites of Chateau Richard and Miaudoux and the dark and well-rounded reds produced by often tiny domaines around Cahors of exceptional quality like Domaine du Garinet.

It is also a very good idea to drive down by car as many of the wines that you will savour may cost half as much as they taste. The variation in the south west of France is so rich and seeing that you can take back 120 litres of wine per person in your vehicle this is an ideal opportunity to stock up!

Minette Constant, a master of wine, will be with us all week for tastings and vineyard visits and maybe for a day walking and talking. The tastings will be on the general exceptional quality and variety of south west France wines and also a tasting of champagnes, vintage and non vintage and champagne style wines. Delicious!! Minette is a great friend from days gone by. She has a fabulously lucid way of explaining about wine and the tastings are always light but highly informative and fun.