After a hearty bacon & egg breakfast, we set out to Prades sur Venezobres to visit Domaine la Jougla, recommended by our property managers, Anthony & Andreas. We arrived at la Jougla to hounds barking, but very quickly discovered that this place was going to be beneficial towards experiencing local wines, because the gal in charge spoke pretty good English. The dog turned out to be the favourite of the litter - an Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie. I have to admit that I'd have one of these dogs in a heartbeat - beautiful, gentle and loving.
The wine here was actually quite exceptional, with a nice white blend and some great reds. We know they make very little white wine in this region and Peter tonight explained that's because it's too hot for the whites and they lose their acidity, which then has to be added artificially. Depending how the wine maker does that, it could be good or bad.
From here, we headed back to Roquebrun to their Co-op. This is a producer that has been successful in exporting to Canada, so it was interesting to taste the exported product and also the stuff that doesn't make it to Canada. This wine has a dominant schist base and we found all their offerings very enjoyable. We'll now look forward to the next LCBO release of their wines.
Following our tasting, we wandered up through town, wondering why this town has not yet made it to Plus Beaux Village status. The views of town from outside are extraordinary and the views from within the town are likewise.
As well as trekking into the upper town, we strolled through their abbreviated market, which included, among other things, the same great English book seller we found in St. Chinian and a mobile hair dresser, operating out of the back of a little white van.
We opted to stay here for lunch and got a great terrace table at La Petit Nice, with a fabulous view over the Orb River and the bridge coming into town.
Peter and the girls had the interesting prix fixe - Dawn & Margaret the almond trout and Peter the duck leg - while I had frogs legs - always a treat. This was a great meal - no surprise in France - but the terrace view was pretty much worth the price of sitting down for lunch.
Following lunch in Roquebrun, we headed up the valley to Cep to find yet another cow path to Berlou which is another high end wine producing village. This drive was, at the same time exhilarating and scary. It was one skinny lane at best with few opportunities to pull over or back up for oncoming traffic. The views along the way were breathtaking. Fortunately no cars were met, but Berlou was closed up tight for lunch. So much for degustation there.
Back in St. Chinian it was siesta time, followed by more good wine, comaraderie, cards and local nibblies like numerous olives and cheese. We actually got in 3 games of Bite Me - I will mention briefly that I won two - not that I'm competitive, but only that Margaret is. Whatever, it was a most enjoyable afternoon in the Herault.
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