MAISON LORGERIL

Languedoc is one of France's oldest wine regions. The region's roots and terroir date back to Roman times and beyond. The amphitheatre of Nîmes is a well-preserved building from that period. The Languedoc breathes wine. Close to the beautiful town of Carcassonne is the Château de Pennautier of the De Lorgeril family and we will pay a detailed visit there. TEXT CHARLOTTE VAN ZUMMEREN

10 hours

'Welcome to my cottage'

From a distance, the château in the small town of Pennautier is already beautiful. As you get closer, the fine architecture is even more striking. Nicolas de Lorgeril is already standing by the doors of the château. The Comte de Lorgeril - as a member of an ancient noble family, Nicolas bears the title of count, or comte - is the tenth generation to occupy this house. 'Welcome to my cottage,' he says with a sense of understatement. Château de Pennautier is a gigantic château. It was built in 1620 under the reign of Louis XIII and was then further extended and finished by the architect of Versailles, Monsieur Louis Le Vau. The young Louis XIII still stayed at the château. In 1622, he left his travelling furniture as a thank-you, and it can still be viewed in the château. 'Would you like a glass of wine?' Of course, because that's what we're here for, after all. What glass of wine you take is quite a choice in Languedoc as there are quite a few varieties and appellations. Now let Maison Lorgeril also be active in many of those appellations. Apart from its centuries-long history, Lorgeril's core business is wine making. First we have lunch with Nicolas.

13 hours

Authentic

'I've always wanted a restaurant within walking distance,' says Nicolas as we walk across the road. A few hundred metres from the château is La Table du Château, an authentic French kitchen with a nice terrace and ditto shop where wine and souvenirs can be bought. 'Tonight we're eating at the château and that food comes from here. So you better not take this and that, because that's what you'll get tonight.' The weather was nice here the week before, today at 12 degrees it is unfortunately not pleasant to sit on the terrace - while in the Netherlands it is 30 degrees at the same time. With the salmon and fish, La Borie Blanche's Rosé Terroirs d'Altitude AOP Languedoc tastes delicious.

15 hours

More wines

Frank Flügge, Lorgeril's export manager, leads us to the winery where we will taste Lorgeril's wines. Winemaker Bernard Durand also joins us. He explains why the location of the vineyards is important. There are quite a few appellations and even more wines (see boxes). So the tables are completely packed. The quality is remarkably good.

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