In October we visited the Languedoc — our “base” was Agde, a town with 2,600 years worth of history where the River Hérault and the Canal du Midi meet the Mediterranean. From the 5th century BC, the Phocaeans developed this town into a trading station between Marseille and Spain, which expanded in the fullness of [...]

Does the above picture effectively showcase the “dream” of Southern France? That blue sky, with the white puffs of clouds, is real. And from this fresh, sunny climate we also get the wines of Gerard Bertrand, who owns six estates in the Languedoc. Today at a Per Se launch of his 2010 Gris Blanc Rosé [...]

  This was such a fabulous restaurant in Collioure, France! It is about three hours from Nimes, and a very cute town. Many artists lived and painted here. Imagine Ibiza with the jetset and you will get a sense of the weather and the scenery. This was one of my favorite restaurants for the scene, [...]

This is a very nice option for an elegant lunch in St. Maxim, as the area is a very active market place and the usual crowded outdoor cafes abound. The Convent Royal is very quiet, and qutie formal. The food is very good. The menu as I recall is three-course, and the wines a good [...]

Hostellerie de L’Abbye de la Celle This is a fabulous restaurant, especially when the weather is great and one can sit outdoors. Arrived just when it opened and thought the menu quite good and creative. I will find the pictures and load them, here is a link to the web site. Like most top restaurants [...]

Visiting Mas Belles Eaux Though Tokaji was the official end to the AXA most generous trip, we had the option of going on to other AXA properties around the world. I love the Languedoc and was very eager to visit the AXA property Mas Belles Eaux.   So Monday morning, myself and another MW student [...]

…   …so I am here in New York, on the jury panel to taste wines of the Cotes du Roussillon with regard to the Saint-Bacchus awards 2010, a competition originating in Roussillon that has been going on twenty-five years. This is one of my favorite regions in the world, and the La Maison de [...]

  … Now I am sure you’ll agree that there is something slightly decadent about savoring wine aboard the open top of a double deckered bus (painted like big yellow taxi with red baloons) at the start of a warm Manhattan summer. Yet well over a dozen journalists did just that on May 4th to [...]

… so many of you know that I spent a few fantastic weeks in the Languedoc this summer, guest of a gorgeous Chateau with access to some of the best restaurants in the world. Of course, the thing about the…

“After my visit to Miami, I think I am going to start producing wines in a Magnum,” jokes handsome French wine representative, Francois Pages of Chateau du Campuget. “Everywhere I went, people seemed so oversized and built-up, like superheroes!” Yes,…

Imagine yourself sitting in an elegant restaurant, the kind where the wine list seems to start at about a hundred dollars, and goes up to three thousand dollars for a bottle of First Growth Bordeaux. You are there for a…