Between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, discover the wines of the Roussillon region and the historic and cultural sites among the magnificent vineyards of Cazes. Sun, wine tasting, organic produce: the ideal conditions for an unforgettable trip to the Catalan vineyards.

The Catalan city of Perpignan and the impressive fortress of Salses, emblematic sites of the the eastern Pyrenees, provide the backdrop for a weekend where you will be just as impressed by another story. This is the vineyard of Cazes, at Rivesaltes, which you can explore in the company of the winemaker.  Never short of anecdotes, he will reveal the techniques of biodynamic cultivation, the art of winemaking and the ageing of natural sweet wines, before proposing a tasting of the best wines of the older vintages.

A Catalan and Mediterranean cuisine

At dinner time, La Table d’Aime offers a set menu with a Catalan- and Mediterranean-style cuisine, made from local, organic, in-season produce, and accompanying wines.

Never short of anecdotes, the winemaker will reveal the techniques of biodynamic cultivation, the art of winemaking and the ageing of natural sweet wines.

In recognition of its quality and excellence, the restaurant has been awarded the prestigious title of Maître Restaurateur or Master Restaurant Owner. A bottle of natural sweet wine welcomes you to your room in the Mas Latour Lavail, in the heart of the vineyard. Perfectly restored, this sumptuous sixteenth-century Catalan farmhouse offers five exceptional rooms, decorated in a refined and contemporary style. Beautiful furniture, high-quality bed linen, an outside pool, private access to a spa and a Turkish steam bath in the former wine tanks … relaxation and pleasure await you!

Trips in Catalonia: The Mediterranean, the Pyrenees and the vineyards

The next day, the destination is the Côte Vermeille and the coastal vineyard of Les Clos de Paulilles. Walk through the vineyard (with an optional helicopter ride or boat trip along the coast), visit the winery and taste the Collioure and Banyuls wines, then lunch at the vineyard restaurant, where the menu changes daily depending on the local markets and inspiration of the chef. In the afternoon, you have a choice between lazing around or culture. The beach, or a walk through the picturesque lanes of Collioure?

A winemaker at Ackerman, near Saumur, Frederic Nouet tells us the secrets of his passion for the wines of the Loire Valley, the second largest producer of sparkling wines in France.

How long have you been involved in the wine industry?

I remember a coteaux-du-layon wine made in 1947 by my grandfather, matured in the cellar by my uncle and tasted by our family one day in spring. This was the first revelation of the flavours of wine and their complexity. This wine had matured for a long time and had to be drunk delicately and with appreciation. A visit to the vines often followed these unforgettable tastings of Loire wines.

Why are you so attached to the Loire vineyards?

My training allowed me to discover wine-producing countries and regions, but I was always drawn to the Loire. The colour of the river, the light which reflects the white Tuffeau limestone of the houses, the pure green of the countryside... all this makes for a contrasting landscape, just like the wines of the Loire: sparkling, red, rose, dry whites or liqueurs. I appreciate the discovery of a great wine just as much as the charm of a small village among the vines or an ornate chateau along the Loire, both of which add something special to this region. 

What does your work involve in the Ackerman cellars?

I make wines in collaboration with wine growers. Our winery tour, ‘Voyage to the centre of the bubble’, describes the land which has produced the wines. Each vintage offers a new experience. I invite you to taste our wines at the end of the tour, in particular the sparkling wines, which are made from a second fermentation in the bottle. Enjoy the magic of effervescence in each bottle! 

The oldest producer of sparkling wines in the Loire Valley, Ackerman, has established an artist in residency programme with Fontevraud Abbey. Underground historic sites are transformed by art, such as the work of Julien Salaud. House Ackerman won the gold medal in the 2019 Wine Tourism Awards in the "Art & culture" category. 

‘Bubbles are transient, emotions are eternal’, declared Jean-Baptiste Ackerman, who founded the oldest sparkling winery in the Loire Valley in 1811. In the pleasure and emotion of sparkling wines, Ackerman naturally associates with an art of living which is particular to the Loire Valley. That is why the famous Saumur brand has committed itself, since 2007, to supporting contemporary art. This can be seen, firstly, in L’eXplosition, an installation by the artist Yorga in the vast underground cellars, where an informative and entertaining scenographic display has been built for visitors.

A partnership that has led to the creation of an artwork which has transformed the vast underground cellars that are so characteristic of the Loire Valley, a region classified as a Unesco World Heritage site.

In 2015, Ackerman reached another stage in its artistic programme through a collaboration with the prestigious Fontevraud Abbey to jointly establish an artist in residency programme. This has led to the creation of an artwork which has transformed the vast underground cellars, that are so characteristic of the Loire Valley, a region classified as a Unesco World Heritage site.  

The labyrinthine underground cellars, a natural showcase for the display of monumental artworks

To inaugurate this concept, the selection panel of the artist in residency programme, gave the internationally acclaimed artist, Julien Salaud, the opportunity to create a massive artwork (60 m long, 5 m high!) built with 65,000 nails and 45 km of cotton thread. The Celestial River spreads out like a canopy of stars over the rocky walls of the Ackerman underground cellars. Light and fragile, it which merges with the whiteness of the sheer Tuffeau limestone walls. The effect is delicate, its lines boldly drawn and powerful. Overwhelmed by the immensity of the work, the eye gradually focuses on the patterns which appear. Then suddenly you are immersed in a river where wings, fins, froth and luminous beings mix together, hand in hand with the rock.

Vincent Mauger is the residence's second selected artist. Very active on the French art scene, he has decided to plunge into the history, light and atmosphere of this very unique monumental galleries of Maison Ackerman. When it comes to both art and wine alike, perfection is born from an alchemy between different elements. This is a temporary work of art, that will be on display for a duration of three years, starting on April 2016. He uses everyday material (glass, tiles, bricks, wood, PVC pipes…) to offer differ dimensions, and makes fun of the paradoxes between real life and virtual reality, landscape and architecture, drawings and huge works of art, traditional techniques and high tech, volume and lightness, materialization and dematerialization.He is both physically and mentally in tune with the exhibition areas, as he has established a genuine relationship with them. “I hardly intervene in the actual gallery. I don’t want to attack it full on, as I prefer a more strategic or tactical approach,” he explained. Vincent Mauger adds dimension to these creative places, with visibly assembled installations, boasting proliferating forms, inviting the spectator to continue to use his imagination.

In total, three different artists will exhibit at this historic site between 2015 and 2017, for a period of three years. Each new temporary artwork will be on show in the Ackerman cellars in the month of April each year.

Relive the saga of Jean-Baptiste Ackerman, a pioneer of the sparkling wines of the Loire Valley, at Saumur. Descend into the heart of the monumental white limestone wine cellars, and discover the secrets of the traditional method of producing effervescent wines.

Ackerman, 1811.  Writ large on the hillside, these letters and numbers reveal a saga set among historical sites, but most of all they reveal one individual’s soul. If the street, on the banks of the Thouet, a tributary of the Loire, is home to most of the sparkling wine producers of Saumur, the Ackerman winery is at the origin of the traditional method which allowed for its development in the Loire Valley, during the nineteenth century. The Loire Valley has thus become the second largest producer of sparkling wines in France, after the Champagne region.

A dynamic scenographic display takes the visitor on a unique and fascinating voyage into to the heart of the highest underground cellars in the Saumur region. Enchanting, fun and educational.

Since 2011, the bicentenary year, a dynamic scenographic display takes the visitor on a unique and fascinating voyage into the heart of the highest underground cellars in the Saumur region. Enchanting, fun and educational, this ‘Voyage to the centre of the bubble’ begins in the vast caves dug into the Tuffeau limestone, the characteristic white stone which was extracted to construct the chateaux of the Loire Valley. Dedicated to the blending and maturing of fine sparkling wines, this vast underground cellar enjoys natural light thanks to its huge glass roof. It is here, through the presentation of the vintages and the portraits of the wine growers, that we uncover the secrets of the traditional method of producing these sparkling wines.

The magic of art in a labyrinth of underground cellars

Enjoy an artistic experience among the art installations created specially for the galleries of this vaste underground maze. With this exhibition, the artist Yorga has created a colourful, aerial and original artwork within this monumental, 20 m-high space. Julien Salaud, the first laureate of the Ackerman Fontevraud La Scène residency, produced the artwork Fleuve celeste (Celestial River), a delicate, ephemeral work which spreads out in the underground gallery like a canopy of stars. The third part of the tour invites the wine tourist to take a voyage along the Loire River: projections allow the viewer to contemplate the World Heritage landscapes, taste the lifestyle of the Loire and enjoy its subtle light. Or learn how to play la boule de fort, a typical regional game similar to bowls, before the expert-led wine tasting commences!

Monumental sculptures amidst vine rows, what an idea! The “art and vine” tour offers you an innovative blend of contemporary art and fine wines at Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

You enjoy wine and art intrigues you; or the other way around. The Château Smith Haut Lafitte invites you to unveil the secrets of its sculptures at the heart of the vineyard. Walking through the rows of cabernet and other iconic grapes of the property, you will discover through interesting anecdotes the reasons behind the presence of these masterpieces in the vines.

You can activate a metallic sphere that spreads out like a vine flower transforming into a grape… guaranteed to impress.

If rabbits, which feast on young vine shoots, are no winemaker’s friend; the hare which doesn’t eat the vines and scares away the rabbits, is the protector of the vineyard. With this iconic animal begins the discovery of the sculptures of the Château: the bronze hare by Barry Flanagan protecting its plot of cabernet. Florence and Daniel year after year adorned their vineyard with magnificent sculptures for intimate reasons and through personal encounters. Caduto a Ragione by Mimmo Paladino was a coup de cœur revelation for Florence who saw in the multitude of birds perched on the slender body of this metallic man, the multitude of wine connoisseurs, merchants and other professionals who come to taste the wines of the Château during the frenetic en primeurs future week.

A tour full of surprises from contemporary art to great 'grand cru' wines

Daniel, on his side, a huge fan of U2, met the engineer, artist and creator of the scenography of the group, Chuck Hoberman, at a concert and asked him to symbolize the nouaison berry setting of the vine with an animated sculpture. You can now activate a metallic sphere that spreads out like a vine flower transforming into a grape… guaranteed to impress. Finally you will have to find out by yourselves some of the other secrets, such as the nickeled bronze crinkled paper by Wang Du in front of the Château cooperage, where they make the wine barrels. Will you discover from which magazine the page comes?

A dreamy and amusing promenade among vine rows becomes an initiation to the pleasure of art. And to pursue the reverie: a tasting of Château Smith Haut Lafitte white and red wines and the discovery of paradise - Florence and Daniel’s personal cellar, with bottles from the 19^th century, whose entrance you will have to find…

In the heart of a Provençal vineyard, the chef of the vineyard restaurant shares the secrets of his Provençal recipes in a new cookery school at the Berne Chateau. A unique and friendly gourmet experience!

Far from the well-trodden tracks, is a path which winds through the vineyards of Provence and takes you to the doors of the Berne Chateau. Enter this 500-hectare vineyard, go past the chateau and there you’ll find the new cookery school in a charming, fully renovated Provençal farmhouse. Opening onto a garden where aromatic plants and olive trees bloom, the house has a kitchen worthy of one of the grand old residences: glazed tiles, shining copper, polished wood and a cool stone interior...

The chefs of the Château de Berne restaurants will reveal the secrets of their classic yet original, aromatic yet easy-to-make recipes. 

In this exceptional setting, which blends excellence and pleasure, the Berne Chateau cookery school welcomes all lovers of gastronomy and wine. The chef of the vineyard’s restaurants will reveal the secrets of his classic yet original, aromatic yet easy-to-make recipes.

Taste your own dishes with a vintage wine from the chateau

Guided by the chef’s passion and finely controlled gestures, learn the alchemy and the tricks of gourmet cooking in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Enjoy transforming local produce into dishes full of flavour and delight. After the cooking, put your dishes on the table for a special tasting, with Provençal wines, in the company of your fellow apprentice chefs. ‘Cook the vegetables of summer’, ‘Halloween’, ‘A Christmas Menu’ … The themes of the courses follow the change of the seasons. Not to be outdone, budding cooks can begin with the ‘Little Chef’s Course’ on Wednesday afternoons. Private courses are also available to share these magical gastronomic experiences among friends, colleagues or with the family. There is also a gourmet stay (3–6 days), which offers unique gourmet experiences, cooking courses, dining at the gourmet restaurant, a tour of the cellars and a tasting of Provençal wines, plus a visit to the olive oil mill and the luxury of a five-star Relais & Chateaux hotel.