Uncategorized - O'Vineyards Carcassonne Wine & Food Blog

Never a dull moment at O Vineyards! Our Wonderful Muse has her Apron on to carry the clips, helping Joe to lift the wires in the Merlot…

The wires in the Syrah are lifted…and some Cabernet remains to be done!

It’s very hot…so let’s start as early in the morning as possible so we can stop before the 36°arrives!

This video shows how lifting the wires helps the grapes get more exposure to the sun which will help them reach full maturity by harvest time … delivering our yummy O’Vineyards 2017 wines!

Time just runs so fast! Tremendous growth within the past couple of weeks! Next thing you know we will be harvesting…Meanwhile there is still so much work to do in the field during the next six to eight weeks that we barely have time to eat and drink. ( OK I might exaggerate from time to time !! )

Can’t wait to taste our O’Vineyards 2017 wines: Omg, Trah Lah Lah, Stranger Stranger, Sipster, Les Américains, Proprietor’s Reserve! all made with passion!

“Amazing!!!!!”

Reviewed by jazzywright

Liz and joe fail to make the experience anything less than amazing ! This being the second time we visited O’vineyards and it did NOT disappoint. Having been before and loving every second of the tour,the hosts and the delicious wine and appetizers, it was only right to bring a friend along to experience this the next time round. My partner and I have lived in Carcassonne for two years and visited many vineyards and honestly nothing compares to this place. Do not think this place is just for older people or couples as both times we have attended with friends and we are 22 and 25 years old! Liz and joe cater for all ages and it’s so much fun and so interesting and of course DELICIOUS! O’vineyards produces the best wine I have ever tasted by a long shot; both red and white are to die for. These guys honestly deserve every kind word said about them as they make you feel so welcome from the moment you contact them via phone for a booking to the thank you email after the visit is finished ! Liz is an amazing cook and makes the most delicious food I’d highly recommend going for dinner/lunch at O’vineyards! Joe is both knowledgable and witty during the tour and answers many questions in a way someone who knows little about wine would understand! They are both very professional yet make you feel comfortable and not too formal! Let’s talk about muse… muse is O’vineyards mascot and she is the kindest and most clever dog and knows her way around the vineyard so well! She is such a little furry added pleasure to make you feel at home! Also, the mise en scene is just breathtaking, stunning views, lush gardens and a beautifully decorated home and rooms to stay in – I would 100% stay there I honestly can not stress enough of how much you will be missing out if you visit the area and don’t take the time out to visit O’vineyards,the best hosts, the best atmosphere, the best dog and of course the best wine ever! We will definitely be back again and again and again 🙂

The O’Vineyards wine tour starts in the vines with a detailed explanation of our pruning methods.

During the growing season, this virtual tour will vary with the progression of the vines. Even when the vines are dormant you can clearly understand the practice.

After the pruning discussion, it’s off to the winery where you will discover most of the equipment used during harvest and wine making.

You will then taste directly from the tanks containing our most recent vintage while being educated about our wine making process.

The tour finale is tasting from a barrel in our adjacent cellar before returning to the decks for even more wine from bottles.

OMG we had Eugenie Bondurant aka Tigris from Hunger Games, and her husband Paul Wilborn from St Petersburg, Florida!

They joined us for a couple of our dinners, and loved our wines and Liz’s cooking. Eugenie’s favorites are Trah Lah Lah, and Les Americans. Paul can’t get enough of the O’Syrah and Proprietor’s Reserve.

On their last night, Joe broke out a surprise wine – Liz’s Vintage – a limited series Joe bottled in 2005 but kept for private enjoyment. What a wonderful treat!

They are leaving tomorrow, but we are packing some special wine for them to take home.

Soutirage of our 2016 wines: Another natural step of the Wine Making process at O’Vineyards.

Soutirage is when we move the wine from one tank to another to separate the wine from the sediment. The English term for this procedure is racking the wine off the lees. We do this numerous times to avoid filtering leaving in the wines the healthy antioxydants. We like to consider our wine as something beneficial to your health… when consumed in moderation…

Cheers!

Click to watch Joe’s video and like our FaceBook page

For the first time since we arrived here and produced our first vintage in 2005, we have ripped up some of our vines. It had little to do with the age of the vines or the quality of the wines, but more about the number of vines that were missing from these areas due to various reasons.

When up to 40% of the vines are no longer producing in a certain area, it’s time for a change.

The previous vines were all Cabernet Sauvignon. Now the question becomes what do we replace it with in the coming year?

Meanwhile, we have planted a type of grass that will enrich the soil for the following season. The parcel of land that will be re-planted falls under the City of Carcassonne Appellation so that leaves us a wide variety of varietals to choose from. We are leaning towards Cabernet Franc because it has always been one of our favorites, and it blends well with the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

However, we can’t resist the challenge of trying to see what we can do with a bit of Pinot Noir . It is said that pinot is not the right choice for this area but we are ready to test that theory . Allegedly the Chasan was not doing well here either … we all know how our O’Chasan turned out.

The elevation here is approximately 250 meters and lends itself to significantly cooler nights following our generally warm sunny days. Coupled with a clay soil that holds moisture well we should have the right ” Terroir ” for our Pinot Noir!

Our production will be limited and available only at the winery and to our Sipster Club members . If we plant this coming fall we should be enjoying the ” fruits of our labor ” by 2020 . Hopefully we will be sharing some with you in the coming years . CHEERS!

The Sipster Club is created to privilege the numerous faithful followers that we have accumulated over the years.

O’Vineyards has existed for over twelve years now, and we have met many people who fit the description of a SIPSTER!

The upcoming season will be far fewer Celebration meals for the general public as Dinners will be scheduled around the bookings of the Sipster Club Members.

Join the Sipster Club

The Sipster Club is for Men & Women of all ages that value independent thinking and drinking good wines. Therefore there is always an open bottle at the Carcassonne O’Vineyards Winery for the Sipsters who pop in.

Looking forward to a great season 2017 and hope to see you all soon.

Stay tuned for futur Sipster Club posts.

Joe, the O’Sipster-Winemaker

Joe’s defintion of “Sipters”: Men & Women of all ages who value independent thinking and drinking good wine!

Join the Sipster Club at O’Vineyards to save on our wines and get unlimited access to exclusive releases!

Becoming a Sipster is simple:

Qualify by ordering 24 bottles of O’wines within 12 months

Sipster Club Privileges

Save 20% on all our current vintages
Free wine tastings for you and up to four guests
Get exclusive access to rare library wines and special bottlings only sold at the winery and in local Michelin-star restaurants
Flexible booking for our club-only Winemaker Dinners with Joe and Liz.