Visite du vignoble du Languedoc

An excellent day spent in the supremely knowledgeable Alex. We went for the full day version which included lunch (and wines). What makes the trip so enjoyable (apart from the various wine tastings) is Alex’s encylopaedic knowledge of wine and the local area. I’m not a wine buff but even I can remember what we drank and the different grape varieties! Well worth doing and I would thoroughly recommend the full day trip.

Alex is an incredibly knowledgeable host. We had a fabulous half day with him visiting vineyards in the Limoux region, followed by an exceptional lunch of cheese and charcuterie whilst Alex shared some very unusual regional wines with us. If you don't have time to take a trip with him then a visit to his shop is a must.

We had a brilliant half day wine experience with Alex. The visits to two wineries (one specialising in sparkling wines and one in still wines) were fascinating and we even squeezed in a third stop for a quick tasting. Back at the shop, Alex guided us through an in depth tasting paired with an excellent selection of cheeses and charcuterie. In total we tried more than 15 wines, all of which were superb. Alex was incredibly knowledgeable, articulate, and passionate and we came away having learned so much about wine and how it’s made. I would recommend this tour 100% and would happily do it again in a heartbeat.

(This review is of the tour we did with Alex in 2025, which I thought I'd posted at the time, but apparently not!) Having been picked up from our hotel by Alex from Vins & Vinos, our first stop was at Domaine Pierre Cros, where met Pierre, had a quick tour of the winery, and tasted five of his stunning single varietal wines in his tasting room. We then headed out through his vineyards to taste two more wines among the vines that produced them, including his fabulous old vine Carignan, Our next stop was Chateau St Jacques d'Albas, an organic winery where some of the vines are overlooked by an 11th century chapel. Here we tasted white wines made from Viognier, Vermentino, Roussanne, and Marsanne, a rosé from a Syrah Grenache, and a sweet, late harvest Petit Manning. Our final winery stop was Close Centeilles, where winemaker Cécile showed us around the winery started by her mother. They have beautiful walled vineyards where they're growing grapes with as little intervention as possible, again focusing on traditional varieties. 
In their cellar they keep bottles of every wine they’ve made, so if you think a particular wine should age well, they’ll have an older version you can buy to make sure! We tasted six wines here and all were great. It was a real privilege to be able to try Le C de Centeilles Rouge, a blend of ‘forgotten’ red varieties, and Le C de Centeilles Blanc, a blend of Riveyrenc Blanc, Riveyrenc Gris, and Araignan Blanc. Amazing wines that prove these varieties should not be ignored. As well as wineries, Alex took us to a couple of notable vineyards for more tastings. 

Firstly, we tasted the Domaine La Tour Boisée Plantation 1905 in the vineyard where the 23 varieties blended to make it have grown since it was planted in—you guessed it—1905. In Félines-Minervois, next to a windmill, we also visited a small vineyard that has references of lots of the region's original grape varieties. There is a board as you approach which tells you which varieties are planted where, so, as Alex produced a bottle of Domaine de la Dourbie Mas Moustache Terret Blanc, we headed off to taste it among the Terret Blanc vines! We also stopped at a vineyard in St Jean de Minervois to taste a couple of sweet wines, including an interesting sweet Grenache that reminded us of port. Our lunch stop was at the beautiful Aux 2 Rivières restaurant in Minerve. Here we enjoyed a three course meal with individual wine pairings while sitting on their terrace, overlooking the river gorge. The food, wine, and views were all stunning, and would definitely be worth a visit if you’re in the area. This is a fantastic tour for any wine lover. You'll meet some wonderful producers, learn a lot regardless of how much or little you already know about wine, winemaking, or the region, and taste an array of amazing wines in beautiful surroundings.

My partner and I spent the day with Alex exploring vineyards across the Minervois, it was the highlight of our trip! His relationships with the vineyard owners gave us a real behind-the-scenes feel for the region and its wine producers. We visited 4 wineries throughout the day and had a delicious gourmet lunch with wine and a view in-between (a restaurant we would not have found without Alex’ knowledge of the area). He went above and beyond for us, as far as helping us out the next day on the trip with getting wine back to the UK, and providing us with many fantastic recommendations for restaurants and other wineries post the tour! 6 starts out of 5!