Head to wine country in the South of France for vespa adventures, beautiful scenery and wine (lots of wine)
Fancy a merry summer adventure? It's right on your doorstep
RIDING a Vespa, with not much else than rolling hills and vineyards in sight, I can’t help but think this is pretty awesome for a Monday. And I only hopped on a plane for two hours to get here.
I’ve been so guilty of picking ever more faraway destinations, trying to go to places my mates haven’t, that I’ve forgotten what’s right on our doorstep.
So step up the South of France, with its abundance of wine, cheese and the village of Assignan, where you’ll find vineyard resort Château Castigno.
Raising a glass
Once falling into ruin, Castigno is now a gorgeous haven thanks to the work of Flemish couple Marc and Tine Verstraete.
At the entrance of the village is Maison d’Amis, a converted barn perfect for groups or rentable as nine separate bedrooms.
There’s a pool overlooking the vines and chic apartments, as well as an art gallery and lifestyle shop.
All the properties have purple-painted shutters and such beautiful decor you’ll want to Pinterest the hell out of them.
Bed and breakfast costs from £62 per person (Chateaucastigno.com).
In the village, there’s also cosy, candlelit tapas bar La Petite Table, plus a new Thai restaurant with a rooftop picnic area.
And at La Table, two incredibly talented brothers who have worked in London and Copenhagen’s top restaurants are now serving up incredible flavours in dishes scattered with edible flowers.
Three courses cost just £28 and trust me, this is somewhere special – I could stay here forever.
I’m on a Vespa because hire is included in some of Castigno’s packages, as are tastings at the wine school.
After exploring the neighbouring wine villages on two wheels, I head to Minerve, half an hour away.
It’s a stunning hilltop village with gorgeous walks and eatery Relais Chantovent, serving up great-value creations such as asparagus tagliatelle. Three courses cost £17 (Relaischantovent-minerve.fr).
Walking off my meal on the ramparts afterwards, it’s pretty and peaceful.
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Changing gear
Talking of pretty, the city of Carcassonne, where I’d flown into a couple of days earlier, is très jolie.
The medieval part is a UNESCO world heritage site – think narrow streets, traditional shops (including Autrefois for interesting olive oils), a castle to explore and city walls to climb.
FYI, the turreted towers inspired Kate Mosse’s bestselling novel Labyrinth (Tourisme-carcassonne.fr).
I stay a night at Le Domaine d’Auriac, a quirky, family-run hotel from a bygone era with a Michelin-starred restaurant and a brilliant house cocktail made with a secret orange liquor recipe.
Double rooms start from £117 a night (Domaine-d-auriac.com).
Back in Assignan, I return the Vespa and hit the seaside village of La Palme to swap one set of wheels for another – Cherrie, a 1984 red 2CV car.
Thankfully, my guide is patient, calmly suggesting I use the brake as I head down a hill, hurtling towards a wall.
When I’m not behind the wheel, I put my head through the open-top roof, soaking up the scenery of the national park as we cruise the vineyards and learn about the local grape varieties, before a tasting at a wine-maker.
Tours start from £34 per person for 21/2 hours (Vin4heurestour.fr).
The area is also famous for the Canal du Midi – a gorgeous waterway where you can hire boats and set sail for a day or more.
I scoff fig, honey and walnut sheep’s milk ice cream at Le Comptoir Nature on the water’s edge in the little village of Le Somail (Comptoirnature.free.fr) before heading to my next stopover – Château Les Carasses near Quarante.
Drinking in the surroundings
This is a more traditional retreat – whitewashed, rather than the bold purples and pinks of Castigno, again with a pool, plus a small bistro that bakes delicious pastries each morning.
Grabbing a bike (free for guests), I explore the vineyards that surround the chateau, before joining a walk to learn about the wine-making process.
Some apartments even have glass wine cellars and private pools. Doubles start from £97 a night (Lescarrasses.com).
Plus, this year it opened a sister property – Château St Pierre de Serjac – 20 minutes’ drive from the old town of Beziers, complete with a spa and indoor pool. One-bedroom apartments cost from £125 a night (Serjac.com).
Just 35 minutes from Carrasses is the 11th-century Abbaye de Fontfroide, one of France’s best-preserved abbeys, with incredible stained-glass windows and a gorgeous garden filled with more than 2,500 roses.
It’s a beautiful place to wander, and if you’re having wine-withdrawal symptoms, they also offer tastings of their own tipples, so obviously I indulge again. Entry costs £8.50 (Fontfroide.com).
The next morning, I visit the harbour town of Marseillan, home to La Maison Noilly Prat vermouth, to mix cocktails and learn the story behind the 200-year-old flavoured wine.
It’s great fun, and I make a note to soak olives and pickled onions in the spirit for decoration before serving my new creations at home. Tours cost £6 (Noillyprat.com).
It’s been a boozy trip (apologies to my liver), but I’ve got memories that will last much longer than the hangover.