Between the Mediterranean and the vineyards, the splendid Chateau Valmy is located in a 24-hectare vineyard. Its style, the quality of its wines and its guestrooms make it a must for a stay in the Roussillon district.

A magnificent white chateau worthy of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, the Chateau Valmy looks over the sea from the heart of the Roussillon vineyards. Relax in the sitting room and rest in one of the five luxury contemporary-styled guestrooms in a unique atmosphere. Visit the wine cellar with its modern equipment and traditional wine storage rooms and taste the vineyard’s wines: Côtes-du-Roussillon, Muscat-de-Rivesaltes and Rivesaltes. On the restaurant’s large terrace with a view over the vineyards and the sea, savour the excellent food made from local produce, accompanied by the best wines of the Roussillon district.

Through her new wine, the dry Maury, or Maury sec, her well-known fortified sweet wines (known as vins doux naturels) and her gourmet events, the new president of the winegrowers’ cooperative, Aurélie Pereira, has transformed the Maury wine district into an irresistible wine tourism destination in the Roussillon region.

You have been president of the Cru Maury group of winegrowers since February 2015 and are developing wine tourism events … 

The wine-growing village of Maury is at the heart of a breathtaking landscape at the foot of the Chateau de Quéribus and the Corbières Mountains, but it is a little further away from the beaches and the main highways … Our intention is to attract the maximum number of wine enthusiasts and the general public to our unusual and distinctive wine district. The Amorioles gourmet walks were created by the wine growers of Maury wine district, by the cooperative wine cellar and by my predecessor, Bernard Rouby, in order to modernize the historic Wine Festival, which was running out of steam. 

What is your concept? 

We haven’t reinvented anything … We have simply adapted the concept of the gourmet walk to our local area. One Sunday in May, six gourmet stages were created at the heart of the Maury vineyards, by 24 wine growers and two leading chefs from the district. This very successful partnership has also led to another event, which takes place in April: ‘Maury, Cheese and Chocolate’. A great occasion to discover the sublime harmonies of chocolate and vins doux naturels (fortified sweet wines), which are already very well known as a fine wine, or cru, but equally the harmony between chocolate and our new wine, Maury sec (dry Maury).   

What do these events do for the Maury wine?​

The Amorioles attracts hundreds of wine enthusiasts who, each year, take the time to come to our vineyards for a day, to discover our wines and become our best ambassadors. In the future, we will make our wine district even more well known thanks to visits centred around nature and wine tourism.

Winner of the 2019 Wine Tourism Trophies Golden Prize in the “Stay at the domain” category, discover the Chateau de Mercuès and its exceptional heritage dating from the thirteenth century. Stay in the renovated rooms and taste the black truffles, prepared by a great chef, and the renowned Malbec wines.  

The Roman-Byzantine Chateau de Mercuès, just outside Cahors, is not to be missed. Georges Vigouroux, a pioneer of the Cahors and Malbec wines, acquired the historic site in 1983. As well as restructuring the vineyard, which today covers 38 hectares, he took the visionary step of building a huge wine cellar, and indeed was one of the first to commission architects to design wine cellars.

‘From here you can see history coming towards you,’ said General de Gaulle after staying at the chateau.

Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux continued the work of his father. As the winners of national and international awards, the Malbecs from his cellars are among the best wines in the world. 

Make yourself at home in a thirteenth-century chateau

If the boost given to winemaking at Chateau de Mercuès was decisive in saving this distinguished residence, the investments on the inside weren’t overlooked either. The history of this thirteenth-century chateau makes this member of Relais & Chateaux a rare gem indeed. Seven hundred years! Few places can boast of such a history. ‘From here you can see history coming towards you,’ said General de Gaulle after staying at the chateau in 1954. In keeping with this heritage, Christine Vigouroux, in charge of the decoration, restored the bedrooms in a timeless architectural style that gives this Relais & Châteaux residence the ‘soul of a house’ in which guests feel at home.

A warm welcome from the wine district of Malbec

Julien Poisot, who will play you songs on the piano, provides creative and authentic cooking. The products are mostly local: lamb from Quercy, veal from Corrèze, and beef from Aubrac. The black truffles from Quercy are given pride of place on the menu, as the Vigouroux family has planted a thousand trees to produce their own Tuber melanosporum in the much sought-after wine district of Lalbenque. Yann Potet, master of the house, gives visitors a warm, sincere and unforgettable welcome, including a visit to the wine cellars. The hospitality is delightful, and the experience exquisite.   

A world leader in Cognac, Hennessy has reinvented its visitor tours, offering a dynamic and multi-sensorial experience which will surprise and delight you. Refined, aesthetic and inspiring, this new tour, which follows the rhythms of the making of cognac, stimulates the sensations, between surprise and enchantment.

A cruise on the Charente River provides an unusual start to the new Hennessy tours at Cognac. Experts welcome the visitor on board for a private visit in a small group to the heart of the Hennessy universe. The first stage of the visit, to the cellar buildings, introduces a modern scenography with artistic and audacious intent, plunging the visitor into the multiple facets of the brand: the epic story of the Hennessy family, the discovery of the technical craft, the people who are woven into its history, and the many talents which make up the worlds of Hennessy.

It’s no coincidence that Hennessy was the winner of the 2019 Wine Tourism Awards (Special Jury Prize) in the "Engagement in wine tourism" category.

In 2024 it also won the Wine Tourism Award in the "Inovation favorite" category.

Taste cognac like a professional, in theory and in practice

In the busy traditional storage buildings, we enter the deepest level of the brandy universe. We see the noble rows of oak barrels, the walls of darkened stone and fragrances which whisper in the half-light ...
 
Back on the other side of the Charente River, it’s time for the rituals of the tasting. The only producer to have a Tasting Committee, Hennessy opens the doors to its workshop where you discover the secrets and different stages of the production of cognac and the Hennessy products. You then step into the shoes of a member of the Tasting Committee and try the different methods of tasting.
 
The one thing left to do is to perfect your discoveries in the shop, the only place in the world to unite all the Hennessy collections.
 
Les Visites Hennessy offer different types of visits to respond to all tastes and requirements, ranging from discovery tours lasting one and a half hours, for novices, to a full day behind the scenes of the company, for connoisseurs.

Bourgogne is a world-famous wine region with magically named villages like Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée, and a landscape of hillsides covered in grape vines. A region with a rich and fascinating natural heritage and history in which unique small plots of vines known as Climats, have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2015. 

Discover the quality and diversity of the wine tourism experiences on offer in Bourgogne with the latest edition of the Discover the Wines of Bourgogne guide (En route vers les bourgognes), which is free and available online. Organize your own programme for your family or friends, and travel the six wine tourism routes covering some 230 kilometres. All year round you can taste the best wines from among the region’s 100 origin-approved wines. A fascinating region with its rich natural and historic treasures.

From relaxation and discoveries to walks and trips, South Bourgogne offers many sources of pleasure, including the Saône River and walks in the vineyards. 

In the far south of Bourgogne, where the first sensations of Provence can be felt, the Mâconnais district extends over 40 km and is bordered by the Saône River. Between the Côte Chalonnaise and the Roche de Solutré,  Mâconnais is especially known for the high quality of its Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran wines but equally for its renowned grand cru wines from the north of the Beaujolais: Saint-Amour and Moulin-à-Vent. What beautiful countryside, celebrated by the famous French writer Lamartine, the district’s most famous son! Explore the city of Mâcon, which maintains the strong traditions of this warm and welcoming wine district.

A pretty bike ride in the Côte de Beaune vineyard and a wine tasting: the local recipe for a great day out!

Enjoy a weekend with friends in Bourgogne. Take Florian, a friendly and attentive guide, who will share his passions for cycling, wines and Bourgogne with you. Add a pinch of prestigious vineyards: Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Pommard (Romanée-Conti isn’t far away). And a winemaker happy to show you his vineyard and wine cellars and provide wine tastings. What do you get? The recipe for pleasure.