It really was a wonderful day! And it was nice to wake up somewhere that is "our bedroom" for 2 whole weeks. So after brekky, at almost 9am, we wandered down the narrow cobbled lanes and across the bridge to the public car park where Wendy was waiting with her van. Wendy is an English woman who teaches winemaking and runs these wonderful, informative and educational tours, and she has just bought a "ruin" to be renovated, opting to live over here full time.

We continued on to Trausse (where we almost stayed) and picked up a couple from New Zealand who were also doing the tour, so there were just the five of us. After that Wendy drove us across the countryside to a winery in Vellespassans where the grapes are grown organically and even tended according to the phases of the moon (because that affects the levels of sap in the vine - biodynamic). Whilst driving through picturesque villages she explained how wine in France is grown according to regions rather than grape variety because it really is the "terroir" that makes the wine - the soil, the aspect, the climate etc. You can have the same grape grown in two different areas produce two totally different wines. This winemaker chose her "parcels" of land on the top of the hill so she couldn't get run off from someone else's parcel that may use chemicals. Wendy explained the history of the region. The grapes were first grown here by the Greeks and the Romans, and they built routes to transport it back to their cities.

Wendy first took us to the vines and told us about grape growing, then she took us into the winery and told us about the cement tanks and stainless steel tanks and fermentation, and explained about them not pressing their wines. She also told us about the production of CO2 and that winemakers need to have the door open for half an hour or so in the morning before entering the winery, and that there's at least 1 death each season from people forgetting this principle. After that we went into the cellar where she told us all about the oak barrels. They are used for their oxygen exchange properties, not to impart flavour. Then we sat and tasted (and bought) some of their wines.

After that we drove on to another beautiful village, St Chinian, where they were having market day. We wandered around the stalls and bought some fresh fruit and veggies. It was really interesting.

We then drove on to another village called St Jean, where we were to have lunch at a local auberge (country restaurant), set up in a former school house. We were met with muscat, as an aperitif, and it's pronounced "moosecat". This was followed by a delicious green salad, and then the dish to top it all - cassoulet. The most wonderful food - white bean stew with duck confit and Toulouse sausage. Wendy has written a book, out at Christmas time, and the chef gave her permission to include the recipe which she learnt from her grandmother. This was washed down with a lovely local red wine. For dessert, quite some tIme later, we had a choice of their homemade ice cream, or sorbet! The restaurant was packed to capacity.

Feeling quite satisfied we then walked across the road to another winery. Here we met the winemakers and learnt their story. These young people have been trailblazers in a way, and they have chefs go to their winery just to purchase their wine to go with their food. These people make the most wonderful muscat (yes, we bought some), and then Wendy showed us where the muscat grapes grew, in a different way without trellises or fruiting wire to grow on, and in limestones rocks!! Oh, and the vines that produced our wine (we had their wine with our lunch) our 100 years old!

After that we returned home, via an amazing little village called Minerve. It was incredibly picturesque, surrounded by river gorges.

Wendy then dropped us off back in our village, arriving home around 5.15pm. It was a wonderful day, we really loved it.