The Gard region is full of wonders that will awaken our five senses. From the Cévennes to the Camargue, passing through Beaucaire, Sommières or Nîmes, the enchantment is guaranteed.
The chef Jérôme Nutile opened his gastronomic restaurant in March 2015. Here, haute couture cuisine and conviviality are the watchwords. The restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star less than a year after opening. You can easily understand this award when you savour the Paimpol coconut bean broth with truffle oil and scallops, served with the white wine Vignoble Chabrier La Garrigue d'Aureillac Duché D'Uzès 2020. The dish, pigeon breast, abattis and chard with hazelnuts, is equally succulent, with a Vin de France de Castillon& Fils Euphoria Grenache 2020. The dessert, a crispy Arlette, with a chocolate parfaitwith caramel sauce, concluded the meal in a divine way.
The Abbey of Saint-Roman, whose first traces date back to 961, is the last troglodyte abbey in Europe. This exceptional place offers the 15,000 annual visitors a plunge into the depths of history which, during the summer, can be extended by an aperitif at the top of the abbey, with an exceptional panorama over the Terre d'Argence. A box with terroir products is proposed in order to highlight local products. During this moment, almost frozen in time, we enjoyed tasting the wines of Mas Carlot, in organic farming. First of all, the 100% Clairette de Bellegarde, Terre Natale 2021, aged 20% in barrels, 10% in an earthenware amphora, with acacia flowers and broom aromas, supported by dried fruit scents. Then we savour the Hommage à Paul Blanc Costières de Nîmes 2020 (Syrah 95%, Mourvèdre 5%, 12 months in barrels), with blackcurrant and black olive notes, where the tannins are very elegant. Finally, a curiosity, the 2020 Avrevs cuvée, an orange wine 50% Roussanne, 50% Marsanne, aged in amphora, offers beautiful orange, clementine and apricot notes.
Sandrine and David Ausset, the owners, have succeeded in the challenge they set themselves: create a friendly place in which you can stay and recharge your batteries. This charming hotel ****, an authentic 18th century wine estate, offers around twenty rooms, superior rooms and flats. The hotel is surrounded by four hectares of nature, cypresses, olive trees, plane trees, oleanders ... The estate also has an aromatic garden and a vegetable garden, which are used to make jams for breakfast, dinners for the guests or even lunch baskets. Simple dishes that remind us of home. For the occasion, Anne Collard, from Château Mourgues du Grès, came to delight us with her wines, in particular the cuvée Terre d'Argence 2021 IGP Pont du Gard with saline and mineral notes.
Although Mas des Tourelles has belonged to the Durand family since the middle of the 18th century, in 1994, Hervé and Guilhem Durand decided to reconstruct the cellar, a former amphora workshop, as it was in Roman times. The two men, who wanted to create wines as in the Gallo-Roman era, were inspired by ancient stories.
The tasting of these wines is fascinating. First, the Turriculae cuvée, with curry and walnut flavours. While the nose suggests a sweet wine, this white wine turns out to be dry. It has had fenugreek, herbs and seawater added, giving it an iodised feel. Ulsum is a red wine with honey and spices (thyme, cinnamon, ginger), to be drunk chilled. As for Carenum elixir, this sweet wine is obtained by fermenting very ripe grapes with plants and defrutum (grape juice concentrated by boiling and flavoured with quince). The result is a sweet, delicate and silky wine with quince notes and subtle aromas of candied peaches.
Then we stopped at the Caveau des Remparts, in Aigues-Mortes. Here I discovered the Vin des Sables, with the cuvées Dune Gris Bio Sables de Camargue IGP, on the nose with white peach in syrup, tangerine, and a refreshing palate. Then, the cuvée Dune Gris Prestige Sables de Camargue IGP (Grenache, Carignan), on red fruits, spices, and a great aromatic persistence. After theses tastings, we then headed to Calvisson.
At the Villa Occitana, we find ourselves plunged into a world where Occitania and Asia blend into one. In this eco-resort, sensitive to sustainable development, between steep paths, rocks and driftwood, a multitude of rooms, Jacuzzi cabins and private villas are offered.
The Sky Bar offers a menu full of original cocktails with an Asian flavour. Whether it's a combination of whisky, matcha tea, basil and ginger syrup, yuzu, egg white, dried pineapple, ginger tea and lemon, or a fusion of cucumber, chilli paste and cherry gin, the imagination is limitless. Everything is served with Asian-influenced tapas or with boards to share. A real treat!
After these beautiful gustatory discoveries, we leave to visit the town of Sommières, built around its river, the Vidourle, and recognisable by its arches. We walk along the medieval streets to climb the castle tower and observe the splendid view, up to the Cévennes.
Following the visit of the Villevieille olive mill, a cooperative created in 1929 with today 600 members, and a tasting of its olive oils, we go to the wine cellar of Villevieille - Les Terrasses du Vidourle. I particularly appreciate the Valat de Baudun Languedoc white 2021 (Vermantino/Roussane/Viognier), aged half in barrels, half in ovoid vats. It is a wine with sweet spices, white flowers and white fruits (peach, apricot and pear). For the reds, the Cade Languedoc Sommières 2020 (Syrah, Grenache), with blackcurrant jam notes, a subtle fatness, spices and a finish with garrigue flavours.
We finish our journey in the Gard with the rebirth of an institution: denim cloth... from Nîmes! Since 2020 Guillaume Sagot has been working to bring back to light this know-how, which was lost for some time. Woven in France and produced and assembled in Portugal, the Ateliers de Nîmes jeans are now produced in 2 500 pieces and are the proof that talent is never lost!
SommelierS International would like to thank all the people who welcomed us, Gard Tourisme (www.tourismegard.com) and its partners, as well as the AiRPur agency.
Sandy Bénard-Ravoisier
While Reims and Épernay are the first cities that come to mind when discussing the Champagne region,
Travelling in the Tarn transports us into another world, a world where every nook and cranny hides a story, and where the human element takes center stage.
The 5-star Hôtel Le Cep is located in the heart of Beaune. This 16th-century jewel contains three charming private mansions with magnificent courtyards that are a true tribute to Burgundy.