This couple is a perfect example of making a living off of something you love. Roland provided a…read moredetailed explanation of the region's wine. I learned so much about their small operation. This is what makes the difference between a large coop and a craft wine. Thank you for your excellent introduction to your superb wine.

Beautiful place, great service! It's difficult to express how wonderful our room was. Large private…read morepatio overlooking the vineyard and the Mediterranean Sea just beyond that!

As I'm sure most of you would have noticed I'm a foodie, however, what you may not know is that I…read morelove a tipple too, and as anybody worth their salt knows a good meal is incomplete with his best lady - an accompanying bottle of wine. So as a treat my gorgeous friends took me out to the Château l'Hospitalet for a little wine tasting. Yea me! Fergul; the Irish general manager with the French name (irony) was a delight and took me though the grapes, years, soil, region, seasons and of course bottles of plonk. I was completely rubbish and refused to spit out a drop claiming it was just wrong to waste such good wine. My poor form was completely acceptable and it seemed the team were used to such antic anyway. I was free to wander around the vineyard and the cellar and the whole experience is totally free of charge but of course it's curious to buy so wine, (which you'd be a fool not to) but there is no obligation. On the site there is also a charming hotel, restaurant and bar that offer jazz evening which in 2004 gave birth to an annual Jazz festival. I can not wait to return to sample the food and wine combo in the restaurant that has awarded la Château a place in Le Guide Michelin alone with with a number of other acclamations. The only down side for me is that I only came over with hand luggage so I couldn't buy any wine to bring home. Never mind, that'll learn me! So note to you reader check a bag!!

This was a wonderful little outing about 15 minutes outside of Carcassonne. The owner Joe gave a…read moregreat tour of the vineyard--even gave permission to eat grapes off the vine! Also got to taste wine both directly from the vats and from the barrels, and compare and contrast the taste and smell. It was amazing to see all of the equipment and learn how it was used. Joe's wife also made some perfect treats to go with the wine. All in all this was a highlight of my trip, and I'm not even really all that much of a wine person!

I love driving down to Narbonne beach thru the wineries. We stop of the side of the road for…read moreDomaine de Vires wines. A pleasantly nice shop overlooking the beautiful wineries and cliff of the Mediterranean Sea. We bought the Bordeaux red blend wine.

Miquel Raymond is the parent company of Domaine Barroubio and make a number of different wines from…read moreMuscates, Roses, and Blancs from Muscat petit grain, Grenache, Carignan and Syrah grapes. The Minervois area where they produce the pretty rare French muscats.

So how do you find this place? Ignore your GPS and wind around country roads, those winding…read moreD-routes. Our group was en route to a Truffle Museum and discovered the Chateau Salitis Winery. Well done, good drivers. The drive is bordered by thick tall trees blooming with autumnal foliage and the last vestiges of grape production. We were invited into the tasting room. Our hostess spoke excellent English which relieved our guide. We sampled several varieties, learned that their wine was formally carried by Costco, readily used the available spitoons, and bought several wines. Overall, it was an educational experience and I recommend that you also get lost in this region. Note: the address is accurate, though they have little web presence, nor a good phone number for me to reference. It looks like their open hours are between 0830-1130 and 1400-1730.

Nice visit. Not an overly impressive tour but the wines were good. We bought the Rose Les Alizes…read moreand Gloria Mundi. Our guide had 2 other people on the same tour that only spoke French so that was awkward. We had to wait while she talked to them. Didn't see any underground cellar.

After going on a Sauternes tear while in NYC I was going to try yet another one when the sommelier…read moreat Corton indicated, the dessert pairing would have been all wrong. Instead she recommended a Moscatel that would match the lighter and intricate dessert being presented. The Miquel Raymond Domaine de Barroubio, 2005 Saint Jean de Minervois was excellent. I had to agree the honeyed cloying richness of the Sauternes would have been wrong and now I've found a great new dessert wine niche to explore.