To end a busy day there was a double visit to two wineries belonging to the Capdemourlin family- Château Capdemourlin and Chateau Balestard la Tonnelle. Thierry Capdemourlin – elegant, flamboyant, enthusiastic about both the wines and what he has done to beautify the Balestard la Tonnelle property- he was rightly proud of the wines and the centuries that it had been made by his family. Exhausted a drive through the rain back to the Manoir.

Friday – more rain. A short journey to Chateau Terre Vieille in the Pecharmant Appellation. Unfortunately the affable monsieur Morand-Monteil was at a wine fair near Paris, but his wife, Dolores conducted the tasting and the visit. The winery is some distance from the tasting room and we had hoped to walk through the vines to the tasting but it was much too wet so our admirable and patient driver David, drove us round. Vines have been grown on the site for at least a thousand years and in the tasting room there are display cases of hundreds of prehistoric tools, arrowheads and axeheads which have been unearthed in the vineyard. Pecharmant is a tough wine, made for long keeping. We tasted a range of vintages and a large amount was bought. Bergerac for lunch and sightseeing.

Once more the weather was more appropriate for the former than for the latter but there was a chance to see parts of the attractive old town. It was to be another busy afternoon and the first stop was at the Domaine de Coutancie, a few miles outside the town. While making Bergerac Rouge and a sparkling wine Nicole Maury’s pride and joy is her Rosette. The appellation was dying (there is not much more than a handful of producers) but thanks to the efforts of madame Maury’s late father and particularly of Nicole herself here has been a revival which continued. In spite of the rain we were made most welcome. We were shown the splendid, if rather rain-soaked view and then taken to a larege barn-like room at the side of the Chai for the tasting. Nicole’s mother had made Foie Gras “toasts” and a special cake to go with the Rosette and there was a party-like atmosphere until the group left for the final visit of the day to Château les Marnières at St Nexans. Christophe Geneste makes a full range of Bergerac and Côtes de Bergerac and most especially some excellent Monbazillac. Although he has perfectly serviceable English he had recruited his brother in law, a vegetable farmer to assist with the tasting, which was held at the edge of the winery, with the rain whipping through the open doors. Nevertheless the wines were appreciated and many a case found its way to the bus.

Saturday and the gods smile on us through the early morning mist on the hotel’s lake and later the through bright sunshine over the Dordogne as we crossed it on the way to the Château de Belingard, a large, elegant property at Pomport. We were greeted by the effervescent and humorous Sylvie, wife of the proprietor Comte Laurent de Bosredon. The Count had been in England on wine business so it was left to Sylvie to relate the history of Belingard (Celtic for “Garden of the Gods”). There is even an ancient Celtic stone sacrificial chair which was unearthed in the grounds. She pointed out the nearby hill which was the site of the first battle of the Hundred Years War and was a fount of historical and apocryphal information. In a cloud of dust and a Mercedes Monsieur le Comte arrived to take over the visit with wit, charm and enthusiasm, giving a master-class in the art of wine-making. The tasting ,too, was memorable, not only for the wines but the way it was laid out around the large tasting room, each person with his or her own crachoure, two glasses which were charged by an assistant while the Bosredons introduced the wines. These included a variety of Bergeracs, some superb Monbazillac and the unique Lyvresse – a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc fermented to dry. The sun continued to shine and it was a happy return to St Julien-de-Crempse.

It has become a tradition that these tours end with a special meal on the last evening. This year it was at the superb Tour des Vents at the Moulin de Malfourat, high above the valley with spectacular viewsin all directions.. The dinner prepare by chef-patronne Marie Rougier was on of the best we have had in the ten years of DWS touring.