Guide Oenotourisme Béziers 2018 Oenotourisme Béziers 2018 | Page 41

Chapelle DE NOVILIS THE FEMININE TOUCH With a career in the pharmaceutical industry and a passion for wine since the age of 25. Their wines are subtle and eleg ant, with a respect for bo th man and na ture. GLOSSARY Organic agriculture Organic agriculture is a method of agricultural production that excludes the use of the majority of synthetic chemical products used in industrial and intensive agriculture since the beginning of the 20th century, genetically-modified orga- nisms by transgenesis and the conservation of cultivated products by irradiation. Nathalie, then living in Paris, combed the length of breadth of France’s different terroirs in search of its wines to build up a private cellar of 1200 bottles. It was when she fell in love that she discovered the vineyards she manages to this day. At 50, feeling a strong need to be her own boss, Nathalie launched herself with a passion into the adventure of viticulture, teaming up with her brother-in-law, Laurent. The Domaine’s vines were in a bad state and wine was no longer being produced there. After uprooting a part of the 22 hectares of vineyard, they had to replant the plots row by row, pruning and tying up the vines, re- working the soil and nourishing it to produce a high-quality wine. In fact, today, the whole domaine is under organic agriculture. This required a major technical, cultural and human effort. They had to rebuild the wine- making area and the present-day cellar. Nathalie even went back to school to obtain the necessary diplomas to be able to exploit the estate, “the best year of school in my life, pure joy”, she tells us. The first 5000 bottles were produced in 2012. In 2017, it’s now 35,000 bottles and a first shipment of wine exported to China. A colossal project requiring an iron fist in a velvet glove, Nathalie met the challenge and Chapelle de Novilis is now a reality. To share her passion with others, she is now turning to wine tourism. You can thus become “winegrower for a day” and from early morning to lunchtime follow the work of the cellar during the grape harvest, tasting new wine, watching the work of fermentation, accompanied by live explanations on wine-making, followed by a picnic lunch in the winery. After-work drinks under the property’s plane trees will enchant you on a balmy summer evening. A new idea this year is the “Happy Hamac”, where you can relax under 41 the trees for timeless moment sampling local products and the domaine’s wines, accompanied by a few good books on wine. “CHAPELLE de NOVILIS”, a unique producer of ‘haute-couture’ wines from Languedoc” is how Nathalie describes her domaine and her favourite wine is a red from her “Néus” range. The reason why is simple, it was the first wine she ever created it’s luscious and easy to drink. ROUTE DE VILLENOUVETTE - 34370 MARAUSSAN 06 74 74 38 42 - chapelledenovilis.com Chapelle De Novilis Winery shop open from Monday to Saturday 16/06 to 13/10. Outside this period, Friday afternoons only PARFUMS DE GARRIGUES Jean-Luc is a hospitable, professional and generous chef. His country cui- sine - as he likes to call it - was taught to him by some of the great chefs like the Troisgros brothers, Maximin, Ros- tang and Witzigmann in Germany. ”It allows me creativity and my own perso- nal imagination”. It’s in a pretty village house, done in contemporary style that you can also discover the flavours of the region’s culinary treasures, un- der the shady arbour where your little ones can play to their heart’s content. Their know-how has been recognised in various food guides. 37, rue de l’Ancienne Poste 34370 Maraussan 09 70 35 53 34 - parfumsdegarrigues.fr