Edith Jacob (Canada) celebrated her birthday with friends Jean-Pierre Gelard et Cathou Camara (France). They shared the table with a group of ladies from Ireland celebrating Marianne Bolger’s birthday!
Mike & Penny Peckpt loved the O’ Fine Wines!
Joseph & Maryann Pace from Malta and many visitors from UK
Honeymoon, Anniversary, Birthdays and Family reunions!
A great Celebration week at O’Vineyards
Jacques ordered a surprise birthday party for his wife Yolande!
With Jacques, his sister Dominique & her husband Georges, Yolande stepped in O’Vineyards empty grand room…..Her children and grand children rushed out of O’ kitchen, singing Happy Birthday Mamie Yolande!
The 2014 Saint Vincent’s Parade
O’Vineyards O’SYRAH 2006 was blessed at the Blessing of the wine during the Prosper Montagné Association’s 2014 Saint Vincent’s Parade!
Who said one can’t have fun at work?
Three fabulous days of the France Show at Earl’s Court. Thanks to the many friends who came to help promote O’Vineyards B&B – Food & Wine Experience, and our UK/US distributor Naked Wines. Without your help we never could have handled the massive number of visitors requesting info about O’Vineyards Food & Wine!
To top off the trip, a private Soirée was held at Michael & Fay Storie’s house in Kent with dinner cooked by Liz. Joe animated the whole gamut of O’Vineyards wines ordered from Naked Wines by Michael & Fay.
Tourism and Cinema in the heart of Aude
The Oenovideo film festival chose the Medieval Cite of Carcassonne and the Hotel de la Cite to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The OenoVideo Festival was hosted by the Syndicat du Cru Minervois in the heart of it’s vineyards and in the walls of Carcassonne from 30 May to 2 June 2013. Oenovidéo found one of the best possible places to stage its international scope. For twenty years, Oenovidéo international showed that it is possible to unite the seventh art and wine.
It was four long days for the Grand Jury but the Minervois region treated the Jurors to many excursions hi-lighting the beauty of the Carcassonne area.
The Festival started by a meet and greet luncheon for the members of the jury at the restaurant Saskia. and that was only the beginning!
The gala was held at La Barbacane, the Hotel de la Cité Michelin starred restaurant located in the Midieval Cite of Carcassonne.
Œnovideo 2013 Grand Jury
Grand Jury Président
Christophe Barratier. Director – Writer – French Producer
Grand Jury Members
Fabrizio Bucella. Doctor of Science University of Brussels. Sommelier – Columnist
Corinne Destombes. Executive Producer – Studios Folimage
Pascal Frissant. Winemaker – Château Coupe-Roses
Daniel Hernandez. CNRS physicist. writer
Patrick Masbatin. Master Sommelier – film Buff
Bernard Nauer. Fiction and documentary filmmaker
Joe O’Connell. Vineyard owner-winemaker. Historian, University of Massachusetts. Domain O’Vineyards, Carcassonne
Marc Olivier. Journalist – Journalist – Honorary Director ANEV
2013 Awards
awards from the Festival Grand Jury chaired by Christophe Barratier
- Grand Jury Special prize to the full length film :
Pelican's watch. Greece. Lea Binzer production.
- Best full length Film is awarded to two films:
Red Obsession Australia. David Roach et Warwick production
À la poursuite de Mme Li France. Anne-Marie Avouac production.
- Best short film is awarded to :
Vendanges d'hiver France. Guilhem Connac production.
- Price for best picture goes to feature film :
Boom Varietal - The rise of Argentine Malbec USA. Sky Pinnick production
- Award for best screenplay and staging is presented in short film:
Le vin, culture universelle Spain. Jorge Mazo production
- Best Picture “Promotion” is given to the short film:
Do Rias Baixas - A year of wine. Spain. Ramses Rivera production
- Best film for professionals in feature film :
La vente en primeur des vins grands crus classés bordelais. France. Production Hervé Remaud, Mylène Jaillette, Christophe Villain.
Special Mention
- Special Mention of the Grand Jury for the feature film :
Like the old vine. Croatia. Milka Barisic procduction
Audience Award
A year in Burgundy. USA. David Kennard production. Lafleur. Germany. Mathieu Charrière production.
Partners awards
- Landscape and Environment Prize awarded by Bayer CropScience :
Do Rias Baixas - A year of wine Spain. Ramses Rivera production
- Imaginarium Prize awarded by Imaginarium :
Le vin, culture universelle Spain. Jorge Mazo production
- Best work of general interest Prize awarded by ANEV :
UJVR, Union des jeunes viticulteurs récoltants France Florent et rémy Gaillard production
- Revue des Œnologues Prize awarded by la Revue des Œnologues :
Zucco, le vin du fils du Roi des Français Italy. Lidia Rizzo production
- Wine – Health – Pleasure of Life Prize awarded from VSPV :
No wine left behind USA. Kevin Gordon production
Julie Taylor wanted to give her partner Rob Houghton a Birthday Treat at O’Vineyards!
And little did she know, we would all get to go out and play…after dinner!
Gauthier Hille, the young caterer was inducted into the Prosper Montagné Gastronomic Club that evening… and we were all invited to the festivities. Julie and Rob had fun!
With Naked Wines & Gressingham Duck
As seen on Gressingham Duck
“This is your chance to win a romantic vineyard trip for two.
This prize includes three nights at Domaine O’Vineyards in Carcassonne
A romantic meal for two in the Hotel de la Cite’s Michelin-starred restaurant La Barbacane.
Two runners up will receive a case of wine from Naked Wines.”
What a Fun day!
Alphonse, President of Prosper Montagné Carcassonne and Monique, Carcassonne City Hall have done a fantastic job organizing Saint Vincent day! Hours of Festivities, then over 300 guests were treated to a very special lunch!
Each winemaker brought their own bottle of wine! I prepared a GEROBOAM (3 liters contenance: 4 normal bottles…) with a special label for Saint Vincent, Patron Saint of the winemakers.
With Carcassonne Mayor, Joe and the other winemakers, Raymond and Jean Louis, marched in the Front Line. Two hours of parade with the musician thru the streets of Carcassonne, several stops then the church ceremony … with the blessing of the three wines.
We were so happy to announce our visitor friends weddings….
Now we are so proud
to welcome our gorgeous Cléa from France! and our handsome Leo from Canada!
Cléa is a French-Irish Parisian. Her Dad is in the Hotel and Restaurant industry.
Leo is from Toronto. His Dad and Mom are Canadian wine enthusiasts.
Joe can’t wait to have Leo help him trim the O’vines…our own Ryan working now at Naked Wines US, in Napa! …. and I will be thrilled to have Cléa with me in O’kitchen!
Congratulations Sean & Dana and Thank you for Leo’s picture!
Congratulations Arnaud & Cara and Thank you for Cléa’s picture!
