This is another entry in Power Tasting’s catalog of great wine bars around the world, places to visit whenever you are in the area. In previous issues, we have highlighted wine bars in Quebec City, London, Paris and other cities. In this case, the destination is not in a city at all, but in a tiny village in the Languedoc.
If you are in the southwest of France, whether in a boat on the Canal du Midi or just wine tasting in the Languedoc, make a stop in the village of Poilhes. No matter how that’s spelled, it’s pronounced POOH-ya. The hamlet is surrounded on all sides by grape vines, as far as the eye can see. And in the middle of it is Vinauberge (http://www.vinauberge.com).
It is many things: a boutique hotel, a restaurant, a meeting hall and certainly not least a wine bar. It is situated in a long-defunct wine cooperative, the location in a French grape growing region where viticulturists (that’s fancy Latin for grape farmers) take their crops to be pressed and made into wine. An international group of investors bought the disused building and renovated and repurposed it.
For many American wine lovers, Languedoc’s wines are a bit of a mystery. Maybe you’ve heard of Languedoc-Rousillion, Corbières, Minervois, St, Chinian, Faugères or Pic St. Loup. Maybe not, and if you have you probably don’t know much about them. If you tasted any of them years ago, you probably found them rough and highly acidic. Today, there are many fine wines to be had in the Languedoc region, but trying them all requires time, travel and a resilient liver, plus some ability to speak French. That’s where Vinauberge comes in.
Vinaubege on the banks for the Canal du Midi.
You may have seen those dispensers that for a dollar or two pours you a taste of a specific wine. Your local wine shop may have one with half a dozen wines on offer. Vinauberge has them too, with forty wines to sample. Of course, facing forty unknown wines presents its own dilemma. You certainly don’t want to try forty wines at a sitting.
Romuald (“Romu”) Barreau and his friendly colleagues are there to help you. He first asked us what we wanted to taste and we replied we’d like to get to know the red wines. Then he asked what our tastes in reds are. Steve prefers bold wines and Lucie goes for more elegant ones, so that called for more than one glass. “Well, if you like this Faugères,” Romu said, “compare it with this St. Chinian. Oh, and try this rosé”. And, and, and. Before we knew it, we had six glasses in front of us and we’d sipped who-knows-how-many different wines from around the Languedoc.
Romuald Barreau introducing us to Languedoc wines.
Aside from his generosity, Romu told us tales of the wine makers, their families, the history of the winery and other lore that only a local son of the vineyards would know. We learned a great deal about Languedoc wines from Romu. Of course, we bought several bottles when we left and we returned often.
One particular event is worth mentioning. We happened to be in Poilhes the night of the annual harvest celebration, held at Vinauberge. We shared dinner with more than a hundred vignerons and their families. There’s something very special about being among the good, honest folk who work so hard so that we might open bottles of what they produce and get the enjoyment of a full-bodied glass of wine.
The vignerons and their families gather at Vinauberge for the harvest festival.
[Oh, by the way, it’s pronounced VIN-oh-berzh.]