I headed for the Gard region to learn more about French organic wines; during my stay I was hosted by Domaine de Gressac.
The owners, who are Swiss, and who previously worked in Geneva, were keen to introduce me to their natural wines but also to their five gîtes spread around the large property, beautiful purebred horses, stretches of pastureland, fields, riverside and the wild woodland that make up Gressac – a far cry from the urban life.
I nearly missed the signposted turnoff for Gressac, for the collection of fine old farm buildings is hard to spot behind a wall of trees on a hilltop. I was also busy wondering how many boar families were lurking nearby, since I was hoping to sample some boar meat and other local treats during my stay in Gard.
The gravel road meandered through a few hundred metres of woodland before bringing me to a clearing, where the golden stone of old buildings picked up the late afternoon sun.
Gressac, a winery and gîte and much more, overlooks the small town of Goudargues, one of several popular tourist destinations in the area – in this case a lively centre dotted with small hotels, B&Bs, a campground and charming restaurants.
Gîtes are one of France’s intelligent additions to the tourism sector, providing the option to stay in one place for several days and to balance out an excess of good restaurant food with simpler meals from your own kitchen.
Gressac, from wine to Spanish jumpers
Owners Laurence and Reto Michelet left Geneva in 2010 with the idea of breeding horses here. Sounds idyllic? Laurence says they never before worked as hard as they do now, that running a farm and guest and wine business is endless labour – but they wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Today they have some 20 magnificent show jumpers, Andalusian horses, also known as PRE or Pure Spanish Horse. While these are purebreds, they are not as high strung as sometimes overbred race horses, says Reto.
They considered pulling up the old vines on the property, as part of a lengthy project to restructure the farm.
Happily, they became convinced it made sense to add grape growing and winemaking to their venture, and they hired a young, passionate vigneron, David Teyssier. The vineyard had for decades been an integral part of the 115-hectare (of a piece) farm operated by a previous owner, Lucien Bondurand, who converted the crops and 12-hectare vineyard to organic in 1970.
Much of the work has been done by Reto, using local materials.
Not surprisingly, many of the guests are Swiss.
My “room” was a well-equipped and beautifully decorated small apartment for two with a good-sized balcony and views over a scene that has surely changed little since Medieval times. Scents wafted up from the herbal garden planted just below. I almost regretted coming at harvest time, for it was the tail-end of the swimming pool season; I opted instead for a wonderful massage in the spa one afternoon after a trek down to the river so Reto could show me the small waterfall and private beach on a bit of the Cèze river. We drove up to the hilltop on a rough track in his Land Rover; more intrepid souls use horses to reach the spectacular view.
Of horses and wines
The bonus for any wine-loving visitor to Gressac is that you can hike or ride a bike around the domain in order to gain a better understanding of how well an organic approach works as part of a larger mixed farming venture. A large new vegetable garden was being set up during my visit, and I wandered around visiting the horses, sheep and goats, fields of grain.
A working horse is used for at least some of the vineyard work, but it was the splendid PREs in several pastures, with ample space to stretch their long legs, that took my breath away as I wandered through the adjoining vineyards.
The grapes had been harvested shortly before my visit in late September, and workers were busy doing post-harvest scrubbing around the cellar. Beyond romance, each of these bits of farming contributes just a portion to overall income, says Laurence Michelet. The wine sells well despite a slightly higher price tag than most area wines, at about €8-17 cellar price, but the production of 2,000 bottles barely covers its own cost, she insists.
If I were a summer visitor I suspect I would say the chilled rosé was my favourite wine, at the end of a day in the southern French sunshine. But I was there in late September to taste the range of wines and my favourite was an easy autumn pick: the 2012 Rouge Sauvage, perfect with red meats (still dreaming of boar).
(More on Gressac wines, in my article on organic wines in the Gard region.)
A working horse is used for at least some of the vineyard work, but it was the splendid PREs in several pastures, with ample space to stretch their long legs, that took my breath away as I wandered through the adjoining vineyards.
Laurence and Reto Michelet with the thoroughbred horses they raise
Photos copyright 2016 Domaine de Gressac
Domaine de Gressac booking and details
You can find booking and details about their women’s boot camp, the horses, the gîtes and the winery on Gressac’s web site. Five gîtes of varying sizes are available for weekly rentals, from approximately €1,000-2,000 depending on size and the season. The fitness “Bootcamp” for women takes place in April.
Getting there
Gressac is a 3.5 to 4-hour drive from Geneva airport; five minutes from the town of Goudargues.)
https://goo.gl/maps/VDorpcBcatr
Photos by Ellen Wallace unless otherwise indicated