Wine Vineyards in Southern France | Famille Rambier Wine Farm

Visiting Wine Vineyards in Southern France made me fall all over in love again with the art of wine making…

When the team from Famille Rambier, invited me and my family (on our recent trip to the south of France) on one of their wine tours and tastings, we leapt at the opportunity…

I´ve visited quite a few wine farms in South Africa (my favourite is Spier Wine Farm) but never have I visited any wine farm in France. I mean come on, France is one of the largest wine producers in the world and their wine is pretty good tasting too!

Since 1848, five generations of the Jean-Pierre Rambier family have cultivated the Pic Saint-Loup Domaine Haut-Lirou vines in Saint-Jean-de-Cuculles. They produce around 350,000 bottles of wine per year!  The wine farm is situated in the department of Hérault, on the upper part of the river Lirou, near the source providing water to the city of Montpellier. This is the only winery with vines planted on the southern slopes of the Pic Saint-Loup, with vines as high as 300 meters!

In order to plant on them, the ground had to be weeded and the stone blocks crushed. The stones were later used to construct some of the more contemporary buildings of the domain.

Boy was this tour interesting. We learnt so much! Legend has it that three brothers (Clair, Loup and Guiral) were fighting for the love of Belle Irene of Bévrieures. She promised to marry the bravest & most Christian of the three. They left on a crusade without knowing who she would choose as her prince. Unfortunately, upon their return, they found out that their beloved princess had died. From then on, they decided to live as hermits on the top of three neighbouring peaks. The one on which Loup lived became the iconic mountain of Pic Saint-Loup.

They also showed us their four new guest houses that opened just a few weeks ago. Oh, how I loved the way they recycled old wine barrels to make the chairs on the terrace, coffee tables and high chairs (see the photos below). So unique and stylish! I want them for my own house too.

Finally, we were escorted to the wine cellars where we sampled some white and rosé wines. One of them was a rosé named after Constance, the grand daughter of Jean-Pierre (and the sixth generation of the family), born in 2014 . What made these wines unique to me were the fact that even the dry white wines tasted light and fruity.

So when you´re next in the south of France, try to visit this beautiful wine farm filled with history and beauty! You´ll fall in love instantaneously!

This is my first post in many I plan to share of my recent trip to the south of France, so be on the lookout for those.  Also if you´re travelling somewhere this Summer, be sure to check out my Last Minute Packing Checklist post.

Johlene

xoxo