our favourite links
Here are some of our favourite links on the Internet, classified under the following headings: wines, restaurants and holidays.
Wines:
Meet three valiant wine lovers who decided to act on what they loved best: wines. Remi Plassard, Laurent Marcillaud and Matthieu Gondard have created the cellar that Montpellier was cruelly lacking. Assuredly very class but not snob at all, a place where one finds a relevant selection of some of the Languedoc terroir best treasures and a place where one speaks about wine while drinking it (sic!) – and it’s the ultimate experience! – with delight!
www.vpoint.fr
Pierre Jéquier and Blandine Chauchat, from the Mas Foulaquier in Claret, not far from the Auberge, make gourmet wines to drink without hesitation.
The domain has now earned the organic and biodynamic label since 2008.
Their very complete web site explains their methods and – besides – you can even buy their wines on line!
www.masfoulaquier.fr
A rather recent domain in Portugal located in the high Douro Valley, close to Pocinho, the railway terminus. The term Passagem – the level crossing – also comes from the train which used to run next to the property. But it particularly symbolizes the profitable collaboration of the Bergqvist family, from Quinta de la Rosa, with Jorge Moreira, a famous oenologist. Together they make wines from the south, dense, structured, intense, but with the smoothness and the elegance that are Jorge’s secret…
Passagem-Wines
Just out of the printing press: the new “bible” of the Pic Saint Loup wine culture, written by Sharon Nagel, the British journalist and translator, with the effective complicity of the photographer Claude Cruells. “Un Terroir, des Hommes” (Of soil and Men) is an exhaustive and quite humorous presentation of the Pic Saint Loup vineyards and the people who enliven them, the kind you (re) discover with great pleasure. But the name of the site is plural “terroirs” – may be a hidden promise?!
www.terroirs-dexception.com
Our preferred organic vegetable provider, Yézid Allaya, grows his vegetables not far from the source of the Lez, in Montferrier, north of Montpellier.
He sells a good part of his crop as vegetable baskets to private individuals. It’s organic, but first of all, it is good!
lutinjardin.weebly.com
Here’s the blog of the unconditional lovers of the illustrious Roussillon Dry Rancio company, an excellent Catalan traditional aperitif wine, recently elevated to the title of “Sentinelle du Goût” (Taste Sentinel) by the International Association SLOWFOOD.
ranciosec.wordpress.com
Here’s the web site of “la Jasse”, coloured and merry like Pascale Rivière’s wines.
It’s also a very interesting site and provides a lot of information. One can quickly see that the “vigneronne” is quite cool and ready for any challenge, offering us each year beautiful, easy to drink gourmet wines.
www.jasse-castel.com
André Leenhardt’s Château de Cazeneuve web site. It is the vineyard domain across the way from the Auberge, whose large cellar is quite visible when you arrive from Lauret.
A very well designed, informative and structured web site.
www.chateaucazeneuve.com
“ The juice of the vine clarifies the spirit and the understanding, alleviates the anger, drives out sadness and gives joy and jubilation to man.” (François Rabelais)
This is the motto of Mas Thélème, Fabienne & Alain Bruguiere’s domain, third on the list of our neighbourly vine growers in Lauret. On their web site, you will find other famous quotations, gourmet wines bearing the names of illustrious scholars and everything you need to know about their vineyard.
www.mas-theleme.com
This web site has just been re-designed and is now really beautiful, well made, with no fuss, and you get to learn a lot on the domain and its happy owners.
www.morties.com
Alain Chabanon’s web site, is brimming with information on the origin of the domain, the different ways of growing the vines, the different types of vines, wine making, and – of course – wine itself! It’s truly excellent – to see!
www.alainchabanon.com
Another web site of an exemplary sobriety, clear, concise, very pleasant to visit: a perfect framework to highlight the splendid photographs portraying the work and the domain.
www.les-aurelles.com
This domain, created by sheer hard, back-breaking work by Marc Valette, is nowadays experiencing a nice growth, after the construction of a very beautiful cellar in Cessenon, in the St Chinian area.
Wines… but not for little girls – but who knows…
www.canetvalette.com
The Rectorie, a sober web site with style, showing beautiful photographs in black and white by Pierre Parcé. One would like to see more…
www.la-rectorie.com
Meeting with the Clavel – their new web site is very complete and can be recommended without moderation to everyone, and not only for the enthusiasts of their plonk…
It’s a pleasure to look at and overflowing with photographs and much information on everything that has to do with the domain and the wine.
www.vins-clavel.fr
A very complete web site, very informative, with a certain bias for strong character wines and a beautiful offer for the Languedoc and Roussillon wines…
www.weinhalle.de
We have here is a sober and simply designed web site offering the best of Luc & Marie’s taste, the intrinsic beauty hidden in simple things, without frills nor artifices. And splendid photographs too!
www.zelige-caravent.fr
A very beautiful web site in English, that proposes a very well selected wine collection from Languedoc – at least on our part, because much of these wines are also on our wine list…
www.chateau-lascaux.com
A very beautiful web site in English, that proposes a very well selected wine collection from Languedoc – at least on our part, because much of these wines are also on our wine list…
www.terroirlanguedoc.co.uk
Fadat presents a very merry web site, high in colours and full of succulent things, just like his wines. It’s also remarkable for its superb photographs displaying the work in the vineyard as well as in the cellar.
www.aupilhac.net
Daniel Roche animates this very active club. Wine tastings, travels, calendar of events… plus archives of very interesting and very well classified comments about wine tastings.
epicuvin.com
The web site of the “Vignerons du Cru” (Vintage vine growers), a trade union that represents very well the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée or “AOC” (Designation of origin).
www.pic-saint-loup.com
You’ll find here a wealth of information on the different vineyards of the Languedoc and the Roussillon area, full with a large database of vine growers and domains addresses.
www.languedoc-aoc.com
When seeking information on such or such domain or wine, we regularly come across this web site, which is to say how thorough and complete it is. On the other hand, of course, it means you must be able to read German…
www.pinard-de-picard.de
Restaurants:
Gilles & Valérie Granier will be happy to welcome you in their charming Auberge right at the foot of the southern Cévennes, in Saint Hypolyte du Fort, with much friendliness and professionalism.
The food is excellent, and the wine even better: a wine list you can only dream of, quite encyclopaedic, add to that the one a kind southern accent, of course!
www.aubergecigaloise.fr
It is one of our “must” see addresses, the one you can’t do without. Specific and refined cuisine, without any fuss nor frills, a beautiful wine list, in a tasteful yet sober setting, coupled with a genuine and natural hospitality.
www.restaurant-belcastel.com
What more can be said about this magic place? Perfection, yes, but with sobriety, without being cluttered by needless things, in touch with what is essential.
If nothing else, look at least at the web site, it’s a journey all by itself…
www.bras.fr
Holidays – activities:
Upstream the Great natural site of the Pont du Diable (Devil’s Bridge) the Herault river can be explored in canoe with our partner Canoë RAPIDO based in Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert. Discover this part of the Herault River thanks to their two circuits.
The traditional: a 12 km descent (accessible for 6 years old kids and up) alternates small rapids and planiols, while the Circuit des falaises (Cliffs circuit) is an easy 4 km (accessible for 4 years old kids and up) is one easy paddling trip on the recreational watershed lake. You can even halt for a picnic on the small sandy beaches lining the river and take a swim in this superb setting.
Open April to October. Call for information and booking: +33 4 67 55 75 75 ou contact@canoe-rapido.com
The Grand Pic Saint Loup Tourism office.
You will find here all the addresses you need to discover the area and prepare your stay.
www.tourisme-picsaintloup.fr/
Frédérick Durieu is above all an artist – and what he likes best are digital media, figures and computer codes.
The results are surprising – you can check his work on his web site: cestdelart.org.
And with his wife Nathalie, they create splendid panoramic visits, like the one they did for us. You also need to see the splendid panoramic views of the Cevennes. And here, you can travel without lifting a finger!
www.toutletour.com
It’s in Nimes that Bruno Doan has opened his graphic design studio. Together with his colleague Thomas Lies, they have created the base of our former web site. If you want to fill your eyes and take a deep breath of fresh air, go on this web site. You’ll be amazed at what you see!
Equally as gorgeous are the books that he publishes and that you can also find on his web site.
www.editions.atelierbaie.fr
They cultivate words,
have their roots deep in the country,
stay involved, have a sense of purpose,
enjoy social and welcoming places…
The Ecologists of l’Euzière propose a wide variety of training programs on the environment, ecology and botany. To discover…
www.euziere.org
There’s enough here to satisfy and charm true horse and nature lovers: with Claudio and his horses, you’ll discover all the secret of this special piece of land called the Camargue, together with a relaxed and family atmosphere.
www.provenceweb.fr/13/promenade-rieges/
Alastair Sawday created a series of guides to help you find that “very special” place to spend your holidays, with a bias for small and personalized houses. Another gold mine. In English…
www.sawdays.co.uk
This kind of barbarian name hides an experienced and very motivated team of specialists ready to share their adventurous and sporting outing expertise – some pretty tough, some less – but always in full nature.
A good address to let yourself be guided in exploring the Languedoc natural hidden treasures.
www.languedoc-canyoning.fr
Our retreat for the holidays, right in the center of the magnificent Douro valley, in an area whose sedimentary shale deposits have been carved by man since centuries in hundreds of cultivated terraces, each clinging to the hillside.
Truly beautiful guests rooms and large houses for renting, onsite eating and of course, an excellent Port wine… The best starting point to go on exploring the Douro valley.
www.quintadelarosa.com
Our preferred stopover on the road to Portugal, at Ezcaray, south of Rioja, in Spain.
It lives up to its reputation: “Hotel for gourmets” There are 4 (!) restaurants to enjoy, starting with the very friendly bar next to the reception desk to the starred restaurant “El Portal”. So get ready to have a wonderful meal here in this very design “In” place, and to crown it all, you will get more than a warm welcome! A true family success.
echaurren.com
Our new haven in Porto, Portugal
An older Portuense town house, restored with a lot of taste, though in a completely unique contemporary style. And furthermore, you’ll find a true jewel of architecture in the garden: a modern 5 bedrooms brick pavilion, with large sliding plate glass windows, tiny privative gardens on the roofs…
A small restaurant, and a warm environment, thanks to the quite very present, passionate and creative team operating there. Absolutely commendable.
www.pensaofavorita.pt
In the Asturias area of northern Spain, you will find a small hotel completely rebuilt from the remaining ruins of a “Maison paysanne” (peasant house). It arbors a definitely contemporary style, with regard to the interior of the house.
Once more, no luxury for luxury sake, but a great harmony and a very warm reception await you.
www.torrevillademoros.com
A dream of an hotel, again not for the luxury but for the beauty and the serene atmosphere of the place, refinement in simplicity, with a view of the sea close by…
The charm of an ancient house arranged with much taste, plus the pleasure of discovering a very outstanding extension, exemplar of a beautiful contemporary and ecological architecture.
hostalempuries.com
We went to see this beautiful house in the “Baie de Somme,” because so many people talked to us about it… And we’ve been under its spell ever since, because we have so many things in common. And this unique view on the vast inland bay…
www.lestourelles.com
A discovery on canvas, and it’s sheer delight… the most original site we know, both sweet and poetic.
Such a heartfelt feeling… so much so that we had to go and see for ourselves, even if closed for the winter. The place is just as beautiful as on the photographs, and Lucas, the owner, extremely endearing. We will go back, that’s for sure!
www.laposadadebabel.com
It’s only a small selection – rather incomplete – of what we appreciate or find interesting.
If you have other web sites – or places, or comments – to share with us and others, so grab your pen and share with us!
welcome@auberge-du-cedre.com