LES VOLETS BLEUS - WINE WEEKEND & GOURMET WINE WALK
Friday 14 - Monday 17 May 2010
Following last year’s successful wine weekend and ‘Sentier Gourmand’, we are pleased to be able to offer a similar short break this May to allow you to enjoy the (usually!) glorious sunny spring weather, lovely views plus a bit of wine tasting and gourmandise.
The ‘Sentier Gourmand’ or gourmet wine walk is a meander of roughly 6km on 'La Clape', the limestone outcrop between Narbonne and the sea. Organised by the local wine producers, it's split into 6 stages of around 1km – there is a stop to enjoy each of an appetiser, starter, fish course, meat, cheese & dessert and, to make things more interesting, a number of different local wine makers offer their chosen wines at each point to accompany the food.
To get an idea of timings, last year's outing took us just under 6hrs – so a gentle speed of 1km/hour. The walking is usually dry underfoot, rugged but not too demanding, with plenty of time to admire the views out to sea or over the countryside towards Narbonne, and enjoy the aromatic smells of the garrigue - rosemary, thyme, lavender and pine. Finally, on return to the start point, there is the opportunity to buy any of the wines you have enjoyed (allow approx 7kg in your luggage allowance for a 6-bottle case).
The weekend starts with a pick-up from your chosen airport* then, on arrival, a brief introduction to wine tasting (or a refresher for those who already have some experience), followed by drinks and dinner. Over the weekend, as well as the gourmet walk, we'll include a visit to our fantastic local food market (and picnic to enjoy all the goodies), a cruise on the Canal du Midi and tasting visit to one of our local favourites, the olive oil mill - plus any other special requests which spring to mind.
