The 24, 25th and 26th of February 2014 the professional wine show Vinisud takes place in Montpellier.  This event which happens every two years is the second largest wine salon in France and is a fantastic show case for wines from the south of France and south of Europe. Wine importers, retailers,sommeliers and journalists from all over the world descend on Montpellier for this exciting … [Read more...]

Wednesday was one of the most important days of the year for us.  The Assemblage.  The day when all the wine made from grapes picked last year are blended together to create our 2013 range of wines. It can take many hours, and great concentration of brain and senses to create the best combinations that are in a similar style to the wines of the preceding year, yet expressing the nuances that … [Read more...]

We are planning to replant the parcel behind the Chateau in the spring.  It will be Grenache and Mouvedre grapes, year old plants carefully chosen for their suitability for this patch of ground, each one sealed with red wax to stop the rootstock from growing upwards. The Carignan grapes were pulled out some years ago, and the ground has been resting since then.  Interestingly the sites of … [Read more...]

The annual Christmas Malemort market took place outside the Mairie this year, as someone had fallen out with the barmaid near the normal site! It is a wonderful collection of stands, manned by the characters from the village, full of rich local bounty.  This is an experience to relish each year.  This year's treasures were honey, saffron, olive oil, lavender oil,  almond biscuits, quince … [Read more...]

Season and harvest notes by James. The late, cold Spring defined the growing season with nature barely catching up. In May we were on the cusp of suffering frost damage on numerous occasions but somehow escaped – even the whites in the valley (our most frost-sensitive spot) were unscathed. What felt like a two week delay to the growing season turned out to be more like three weeks as we … [Read more...]

A charming group of Scandinavian (and one British) journalists arrived here by bike from Chateau de Mazan, to taste the wine and have one of our picnics of delicious local produce by the shady 18th century stone pool. Having already had a pretty busy morning making natural face cream at Entrechaux, they had biked the gentle meandering route through the vines and cherries at a slightly faster … [Read more...]

This week found us in the Palais des Papes in Avignon. 'Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône' is a huge professional wine show in the Rhône Valley, held every two years, and this year we were lucky enough to be with all the southern Rhône wine producers in the majestically high ceilings rooms of this grand imposing historical palace for two days. Wine buyers appear from all over the world as well … [Read more...]

5 cms of snow greeted us this morning when we woke up!  Very beautiful and melting fast.  I took a few photographs to share. … [Read more...]

Season & Harvest Notes 2012  posted by James The very cold and dry winter of 2011/12 –  including a two-week spell in February with night temperatures down to -14° C was enough to kill off weaker vines. The dryness was much feared as in the south we rely on the winter rain to keep the watertable topped-up. This cold theme continued into May with many of France’s vineyards suffering from … [Read more...]

Monday morning I was speeding towards Paris and then Tours in the Loire Valley to let the tourist industry of the world know what wonders they might find for their clients at Chateau Unang!  One and a half days of 20 minute rendez-vous with tour operators from America, Asia, Russia and Europe, looking for a memorable experience to offer. They were delighted with the photographs of the domaine … [Read more...]