Discover the Chateau de Chambert, the largest organic vineyard in the Cahors district; taste Malbec wine and local fine foods in an exceptional setting. An ideal destination for the whole family!

Chambert, whose winemaking heritage stretches back three centuries, is a natural wonder where wild flowers flourish and butterflies flutter among the grape vines. Perfectly situated on the Cahors plateau at an altitude of 300 metres, Chateau de Chambert looks over the entire Lot Valley. The largest organic winery in the Cahors district, it covers 65 hectares of the most beautiful high hills wine country, all cultivated organically. These world-famous wines are distributed exclusively by Rigal.

A story is hidden behind each bottle of Chambert...

Walk among the grape vines with a guide and discover the secrets of the organic cultivation of the famous Malbec grape variety, emblematic of the Cahors district, and Merlot. Then visit the historic cellars where you will enter the world of winemaking and discover the fermentation and ageing of the wines. A story is hidden behind each bottle of Chambert!

Exceptional wine country for lovers of fine food and wines!

While the adults enjoy a tasting of the winery’s organic vintages, the children can participate in activities focused on the natural environment and have fun with the farm animals in a hundred-year-old park. Then sit down at the Bistro de Chambert, a new space which has been authentically renovated in the style of a nineteenth-century stone barn. From the outdoor terrace, you can enjoy an uninterrupted view of the vineyard. Savour the local delicacies, cooked meats and cheeses, accompanied by wines from the Chateau de Chambert, available by the glass or the bottle. The menu also offers a large selection of other French wines, organic craft beers and non-alcoholic drinks, which go well with a salad of in-season vegetables or a tasty desert!

Pick up a map at the Bistro, and for an after-lunch stroll follow the marked path which crosses the Malbec and Merlot grape vines. Enjoy the unique beauty of this place, an unmissable stop for lovers of fine food and wine along the savour-rich south-west route.

At Chablis, in Burgundy, the Domaine Laroche reveals an exceptional history: the ninth-century Obédiencerie monastery, where Chablis, an emblematic French white wine, was born. 

The Domaine Laroche allows you to discover the fascinating history of the white wine Chablis, with its rich religious and medieval heritage, and to taste the Burgundy way of life. The Obédiencerie is a site rich in history and Christian heritage. It is here, in this former monastery at Chablis, that the monks of Saint Martin de Tours developed the craft of winemaking in the Middle Ages.

The wine tastings allow you to appreciate all the subtleties of the Chardonnay grapes, grown in a mosaic of different areas, which make up the Chablis white wine.

The Laroche family installed the headquarters of its vineyard in the magnificent building and takes great care of this living heritage. Visitors can admire the twelfth-century grape press, a unique device classified on the list of French historic monuments, and the wine cellars, the oldest in the village (ninth and twelfth centuries), which are still being used today.

A Saint Martin vintage to remind us that wine is for sharing 

The Domaine Laroche continues to produce and mature its four top grand cru wines and 10 high-quality premier cru wines under the historic and peaceful monastic arches. Wine tastings are held here and allow you to appreciate all the subtleties of the Chardonnay grapes, grown in a mosaic of different areas, which make up the Chablis white wine. The vineyard has, among other things, developed a Saint Martin wine to highlight this long history, in which wine is a symbol of sharing.  

Near the vineyard, the Hôtel du Vieux Moulin offers a wonderful getaway experience. All aspects of the Burgundy way of life are expressed in this charming hotel, which is built in a former eighteenth-century grain mill. The subtle mix of traditional architecture and contemporary design provides an intimate location in the centre of Chablis village, at the heart of this famous wine district, whose many different 'climats', or plots of land for growing grapes, have been classified as World Heritage sites. Several different types of weekend or short visits allow you to enjoy a unique wine tourism experience.  

At the confluence of the Rhône and Vivarais rivers, near the most beautiful sites of the Ardèche region, an organic winemaker shares his passion for Rhône wines, 80 metres below the surface, in the intimacy of the Saint-Marcel cave. 

A unique sensory experience is guaranteed! Raphael Pommier, the audacious owner of the Notre-Dame-de-Cousignac vineyard, in the Ardèche region, matures his "vinolithic" vintage in the Saint-Marcel-d’Ardèche cave. Though it may seem like a crazy idea, he invites you to follow him 80 m underground to enjoy a unique wine-tasting experience. Equipped with a jumpsuit, headlamp, climbing harness, ropes and the necessary safety equipment, thrillseekers abseil down to join the oak wine casks in which Raphael Pommier’s Côtes-du-Rhône Villages organic wine is left to mature for six months.

This unusual tour offers you wine-tasting sensations like no other: perfect silence, the pleasure of exploring a cave that is also a wine cellar, and the experience of well-preserved nature.

The cave, made mostly of limestone, provides the ideal conditions in which to age wine: mineral surroundings, total darkness, a constant temperature of 14 °C and 90% humidity.

A cavern a few kilometres from the Chauvet cave

This unusual tour also offers you wine-tasting sensations like no other: access to a unique site where perfect silence reigns; the pleasure of exploring a cave that is also a wine cellar; the experience of well-preserved nature. The discovery trail known as the ‘Large Rock Path’ allows you to calmly appreciate the large ‘rooms’ and waterfalls of this immense and enchanting place.

For less adventurous wine tourists, the Notre-Dame-de-Cousignac vineyard, with its long tradition of hospitality, offers a variety of more orthodox wine tastings on the surface. Only a few kilometres away, you can also visit a replica of the Chauvet cave, the oldest painted cave in the world (36,000 years old) and a World Heritage site.   

At the foot of Sainte-Victoire Mountain, symbol of Provence, the Chateau Gassier vineyard offers a wine trail which provides a fascinating insight into organic vineyards and biodiversity. 

Caressed by the Mediterranean winds, Chateau Gassier’s 40 hectares of vineyards benefit from a unique location, at the foot of Sainte-Victoire Mountain. A powerful symbol of the Provence region, this site was the inspiration for the famous Impressionist painter Cézanne. The vineyard is located in the wine region of Côtes-de-Provence Sainte-Victoire, an area established in the heart of the Grand Site of France Sainte-Victoire, considered to be one of the most natural and well protected sites in the country. Aware of the rich biodiversity of this area, the team at Chateau Gassier are committed to protecting their environment. 

The wine trail gives a 360° view of life on the vineyard

Visitors to the estate can now take a wine tour which not only explains the richness of the Chateau Gassier vineyard, but also raises awareness about the preservation of biodiversity. Open to the public, the 3-km trail has regular signs and information panels. It immerses the walker in a nature where humans are but one of the actors.

A family treasure hunt

In total, 12 information panels provide information on the plants, animals and geology of the Sainte-Victoire vineyard, as well as details on the vegetative cycle of the vines, the role of the vines in organic agriculture, the vines themselves, and how the wines are produced… This offers a 360° view of life on the vineyard. The walk could be the place for a family treasure hunt and other family games or just enjoyed among friends: it is an informative and entertaining experience.

This biodiversity preservation project, which started in 2010, also includes other aspects of organic agriculture including the reduction of water consumption and the certification of high-energy performance, as well as a partnership with the teams of the Grand Site Sainte-Victoire. This partnership, the first of its kind, aims to develop and improve the biodiversity protection programmes in Sainte-Victoire while ensuring a wine production which respects its environment. For the public, there is also the guarantee of a warm welcome!

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?