The Languedoc in pictures

db’s Lucy Shaw headed to the Languedoc last weekend to take part in the harvest with one of the region’s pioneers, Gérard Bertrand. But before any grapes were picked there was time for a quick visit to the Medieval city of Carcassonne, a UNESCO world heritage site.

In a hat tip to its Medieval past, the city is filled with knights in shining armour – db’s fine wine editor, Rupert Millar would have had a field day…

Our first stop was to Bertrand’s nine hectare Clos d’Ora vineyard in Minervois, where the Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre were enjoying their last few weeks on the vine.

During our visit, the estate’s technical director talked us through how to tell when a bunch of grapes is ready to be picked, from sugar and anthocyanin levels to acidity. These Mourvèdre grapes weren’t quite ready to go…

A passionate advocate of biodynamics, Gerard Bertrand first began converting his Cigalus estate in 2002. Clos d’Ora is also farmed biodynamically, and uses horses and mules to plough the soil, like Vanina, who was allowed the day off as the soil was too wet to work.

We were given a warm welcome at Cigalus by Bertrand’s hound Magnum.

Later that day we headed to a local seafood restaurant by the salt marshes, which were a strange and beautiful sight at night – a quiet unmoving ocean of white….

They go big on seafood in the Languedoc – among our favourite dishes were clams in garlic butter and jumbo shrimp with aioli.

The following day we were treated to a masterclass on 14 of the top wines in Gerard Bertrand’s portfolio. Having taken the reins at his family wine company after his father died in 1987, over the last 30 years Bertrand has been building up his eponymous wine company into one of the most powerful players in the Languedoc.

During the masterclass, host Matthew Stubbs MW said he believes that the sleeping giant of the Languedoc is the “next classic wine region” of France.

“The region boasts a fantastic diversity of terroirs and great wines are being made across the Languedoc,” he said, adding, “Its profile is only going to rise, so my advice would be to buy the top wines from the region now, as they’re never going to be any cheaper”.

Attendees to the harvest festival donned their glad rags that evening for a party of epic proportions. Among them was Press Association wine writer Sam Wylie-Harris and her husband Giles, who dressed up for the occasion and hit the dance floor hard.

Among the many delicious dishes we enjoyed that evening was a silky langoustine that paired wonderfully with Bertrand’s new top-end, oak aged rosé, Clos du Temple, which aims to rival the best in the world.

We were also treated to a vertical tasting of three vintages of Clos d’Ora, the most impressive of which was the 2014, which showed exquisite poise, elegance and depth and has a long life ahead of it.