Fine Food and Wicked Wine at Au Château

5 minute walk into St Nicolas de la Grave to visit the morning market in the tree lined boulevard in front of the impressive  10th-century Château. Originally the home of the English King  - ‘Richard the Lion Heart’ who lived in St Nicolas for 8 yrs after fighting the Turks in Jerusalem. Visit the village museum of Cadillac (founder of Detroit city and after whom the car was named), close to the 14th -century church, or just have a morning coffee in the typical French Café-Bar

For lunch we will sample produce from the market, like the fantastic selection of local cheeses which can be enjoyed with red or rosé wine from the area, delicious charcuteries with crusty French bread, next to a fresh salad and followed by the famous “Gariguette” strawberries.

Walk around Auvillar, described as one of the loveliest hilltop villages in all of France, it has a triangular market place with a circular corn market at its centre. Half timbered arcades line the cobbled roads and impressive views overlook the river Garonne.

Drive to Cordes sur Ciel, situated at four hundred feet above the river Cerou where Albert Camus once wrote “Everything is beautiful there - even regret”. Visit the well preserved gothic houses including the 14th century  Maison du Grand Fauconnier with falcons carved on its façade, which line the steep cobbled streets.
There are numerous curiosities and artistic perspectives abound from all angles.

Individual lunch in Cordes     

Onwards to Albi and definitely not a place for a ‘flying afternoon’ rendez-vous. Highlights include the vast red brick Cathedrale de Ste-Cecile built in 1265 as a reminder to potential heretics that the church ‘meant business’. From a distance it’s semi- circular towers and narrow windows give it an appearance more of a fortress than a place of worship.

The wonderful Toulouse Lautrec museum which celebrates the life of this most influential artist who was born in Albi in 1864. The museum contains the most complete permanent collection of the artiste’s work in existence, including paintings, drawings and his famous posters for the Moulin Rouge which established lithography as a major art form. There are also canvases by Matisse, Dufy and Yves Brayer.  

Many quality reproductions are available at the museum shop at excellent prices.

Drive to Rocamadour, the beautiful cliff-hugging medieval village that was built 490 feet above the Alzou river. The name originates from St. Amadour, whose identity has never been firmly established, but whose body, supposedly, is buried underneath the rock. For many centuries, the village has attracted pilgrims from all over the world, who come to visit the celebrated sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The town also gives its name to Rocamadour, a small cheese made of unpasteurized goat’s milk that was awarded AOC status in 1996.

In Loze, the Chamerois family is proud to show their farm where they produce the infamous Rocamadour cheese, as well as small goats cheeses Cabécou d’Autan.

Drive to the Foie Gras museum of Souleilles, which is situated in the countryside of the Lot-and-Garonne department, and housed in a typical farm of South-West France. Explanations and displays show how the delicacy has been produced since the times of Ancient Egyptians through the Roman period and up to the present day. Proprietors Yves and Geneviève Boissière rear their ducks according to  family tradition and produce their Foie Gras from  recipes passed down from their Grandmother. Visit of the  museum, farm and of course -  enjoy a taste of Madame et Monsieur Bossiere’s great family delicacy. Three kilometres from the farm of Souleilles  lies the fortified village of Frespech. Visit the farm’s  “kitchen and  dining room, enjoy a cooking demonstration and taste of a typical menu from this era in South-West France (for example lightly cooked duck foie gras lobe - confit of duck leg with potatoes - tart of Agen prunes).

Drive to and visit Agen, an attractive, unhurried provincial capital on the river Garonne, to enjoy the view from the canal over the river and vast orchards of regimented plum trees, or have a stroll along the main shopping street with it’s typical French brasseries and cafés.

Wine tasting at Donzac.

The Domaine de Coujetou-Peyret in Donzac offer visits to their cellars and a wine tasting session of red and rosé wines of the VDQS Côtes du Brulhois and vin de pays of the Comté Tolosan region.

2 hours drive to and visit of the vibrant city of Bordeaux, the fifth largest town in France, which has been a major port on the river Garonne since pre-Roman times. The Garonne riverfront is lined with fine 18th century buildings form the days when the port was booming, incl the place de la Bourse, designed by Jacques Ange Gabriel, architect of place de la Concorde in Paris.  Also worth seeing are the vast esplanade des Quinconces, the Grand Théatre, the Gothic Cathédrale St. André and the Hotel de Ville.

Drive to St. Emilion - not only the appellation of one of the finest red wines of the Bordeaux region, but also a beautiful medieval town with steep hill cobbled streets running through ancient limestone buildings . The town is surrounded by vineyards of this large wine growing district. Its origins go back to the 8th century and even today medieval houses still line the narrow streets.
An absolute “must” for wine lovers who will appreciate to sample the rich, warm wines.

“Cotes” St. Emilion covers the slopes from the town towards the South, and the plateau which surrounds the town. There is a wealth of different styles in this appellation, which the wine lover is assured will be a pleasure to discover.