A Year at Vinécole
Vinécole, the wine school based at Domaine Gayda, has been running for over a year and now it is time to reflect on that first year, how it went and what we have done.
The school was set up in July 2008 by Matthew Stubbs MW. Matthew, after running the wine department of Safeways for many years, moved to the region with his family five years ago and was consulting to the wine trade both here in France and back in the UK.
However his dream was to set up a school that offered informative and fun courses for all levels of wine knowledge, to share his enthusiasm and extensive knowledge with fellow wine enthusiasts.
On meeting Tim Ford, one of the owners of Domaine Gayda, he realised
that in Gayda
he had found the perfect environment to set up his school. The Domaine
offered facilities such as a gastronomic restaurant, accommodation and of course a
working winery to show students around when explaining the wine making process.
In September Matthew was joined by myself, Emma Kershaw. I come from a back ground of teaching professional qualifications in wine and working with restaurants and chefs to understand how wine and food can work together. I had planned to move to the region to set up a wine and food school, so we decided to join forces.Together we have a broad experience and knowledge of all things vinous and gastronomic!
When we started this school we were unsure of how things would develop and what would prove to be popular and who would be our clientele. Well everything and all seems to be the answer!! During the summer months we have a wide range of nationalities from French, American, Swedish, Australian, Spanish Dutch to British. To name but a few! The courses that we run the most often in summer are our introductory courses that show the range and quality of the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
These courses last between 2 and 3 hours and show 8 wines; from the sparkling wines of Limoux to the diverse whites made from grapes such as Roussanne and Bourboulenc to the dry and herby roses to light and fresh reds from Pinot Noir to full-bodied rich reds from Grenache, Carignan and Syrah to the Vins Doux Naturels of the Roussillon.
Another course that is very popular is a wine and food tasting that shows a similar range of wines but partnered with local tapas dishes. These courses cost from €30 to €40 per person.
We even found ourselves this summer going to guests gites/houses and running wine and tapas matching courses around the pool. Holiday makers loved this as they didn?t need to get into the car and drive afterwards! Also families could include the kids as we did a mini juice tasting for the little ones! 8 fruit juices tasted blind, it?s amazing how keen children?s palates are, much better than their mums and dads!
From Autumn through to Spring we run our professional qualifications, these are the Wine and Spirits Education Trust courses that cover the wines of the world and give the student a world recognized qualification at the end. Most of the students that attend either work or want to work in the wine industry in some format or other, however we are finding more and more keen amateurs attending. Our students for these courses fly in from all around the world and will generally stay on site at the Domaine accommodation, that way they can immerse themselves in wine for the duration of the course! Interestingly we are getting
more French students, historically the French have not been very interested in studying wines from other countries so it is excellent to see this shift in world wine awareness. 
Our Master Classes run all year round and cover subjects that include specific districts of the region, Corbieres, Minervois La Liviniere etc. Plus other regions from around the world Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Sparkling Wines of the World, Wine and Cheese. We will also start running seminars next year for wine makers or those who have an interest in buying a vineyard in the area. Covering topics such as Export Markets and Vins de Pays vs AOC.
All in all it has been a good year, busy and exciting. We have met some fabulous people,tasted some outstanding wines and visited some breath taking vineyards. This is without a doubt one of the most fascinating wine regions of the world. A region that is forever changing, once with a reputation for producing vast quantities of dross to now a major player in the world of fine wine. A region of outstanding beauty but with a rusticity that is endearing. A gastronomic delight, with some excellent markets and food fairs. and once your crack that southern accent some of the friendliest people in France!
Matthew and I look forward to tasting with you in 2010!
For more information on courses and events please go to www.vinecole.com or call +33 (0)4 68 31 64 14
Santé
Inside the church you will see a horseshoe arch separating the nave from the altar. This is typically Visigothic. All the experts agree that the capitals above the pillars holding it, are Visigothic. The pillars themselves are “antique marble re-used.” Maybe even Roman. So it sounds to me that the church, maybe much smaller, existed in the 8th century and was renovated several times, obviously. The last one was done in 1853 – see the date above the arch.
Outside is a tiny graveyard. Standing in it one sees clearly the Romanesque style of the doors and windows. I believe the door on the left was not the original entrance – that would have been where is now the road, for the church was orientated west-east, as Visigothic churches always were. One entered St. Martin des Puits and saw that lovely arch straight ahead, and the frescoes.
