WINE TASTING IN THE REGION

Forge Basse is situated just north of the great Bordeaux, Bergerac and Pécharmant vineyards. It takes about an hour and a half to reach the region via the country roads through small towns and villages. Wine-tasting,or dégustation, enables you to taste at first hand château-bottled wines before purchase, so you can choose exactly the wines you most enjoy.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE You will find that frequently the patron (or patronne) is not present; however, there is always someone on hand to welcome visitors. You may have to ring a bell as they may not have heard your arrival over the noise of the bottling plant! Shake hands all round -this is very much the French way of introducing yourselves. You will be asked if you would like to sample some wine (déguster) and you should decide in what order you would like to taste - Red first, then Rosé, then White, or vice-versa. Many châteaux offer different qualities of wine, such as vin de table, for everyday drinking, and vintage stocks of particular years for serious appreciation. You will normally be offered all their varieties available, but don't be afraid to ask to taste a particular vintage which appeals to you, provided you are seriously intending to buy some! The tasting itself is designed to enable you to sample the strength, body, and flavour of the wine. Once you've established this, there is normally a receptacle for you to pour away any excess. Having finished the tasting, you will then be expected to buy some of what you've sampled; this can be as little as a couple of bottles of vin de table, or a few cases of the best vintage on offer.....

A Typical Day Out Winetasting We recently had a wonderful day out, heading south from Forge Basse at about 10 o'clock in the morning. We took the route via Brantôme, Bourdeilles and Isles to Montpon-Ménéstérol where we crossed the N89. Just south of there, at St Martin de Gurson, we called in at the Château du Priorat, run by the Maury family. The building itself is hardly a grand Château, but the wines, and in particular the Rosé (at only €3.35 a bottle) are excellent. Not far from St Martin, at Villefranche de Lonchat, we found the restaurant recommended to us, the Hotel-Restaurant du Commerce, where the dining room has a superb vista out over the Bergeracois hills; the midday set menu starts at €11. It was very good value with a spectacular view. As an alternative, at St Méard de Gurson, a few kilometres further on, the restaurant Le Pressoir is also highly recommended. After Lunch, we headed eastwards towards the Château Tour des Gendres, at Ribagnac, run by the Conti family. Here we enjoyed another dégustation and we particularly liked the dry white `Cuvée des Conti' (€6). The red `La Gloire de Mon Père' (€9) is a typically strong-bodied Bergerac wine. We then set off again through the vineyards, travelling further east to Colombier, just south of Bergerac. We were heading for the Château de la Jaubertie which has a large variety of fine wines. This time the dégustation took place in one of the converted chais (wine cellars). We had been told that the deep, red Millésime vintage here (€16) is a fine accompaniment to a formal evening meal. From Chateau Jaubertie we headed back to Forge Basse via Bergerac and Périgueux. Along the route, there were many other châteaux signposted and it is perfectly acceptable to drive up to their front door, and ring the bell. The proprietors will always be pleased to see you, and offer you a tasting! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Self-bottling -- St Emilion For those who are happy to make the effort of home bottling using our corking machine, the wholesale cellar of Château de la Gaffelière (St Emilion) are happy to sell wine in bulk. They have a range of draught wines (en vrac), which vary from as little as £0.80 per litre upwards. The `Super' is a blended product of the nearby vineyard and of excellent quality for everyday drinking. Bottled vintage wines are also available, and tasting is available on request. We are happy to lend you our "Cube" (33 litres plastic container) if you plan to make a trip to buy wine in bulk.