Domaine Gayda has a new world approach to French winemaking, which gives us a Languedoc Chenin Blanc, which usually is found in the Loire Valley. We are the beneficiaries of this forward thinking with a Chenin with plenty of drinkability. There is a lovely citrus profile, plenty of texture and a lovely honeysuckle bouquet.

Domaine Gayda is located on the main route between Toulouse and Carcassonne and when visiting the winery, you may be confused into thinking you have travelled through a portal to Stellenbosch or the Barossa. Here you aren’t visiting a French winery where you are about as welcome as a mormon on Grand Final day, you are offered a cellar door experience, a winery fitted with cute Citroen cars and a restaurant with stunning food alongside equally stunning views of the Pyrenees. The winery is the hard work of two partners, Tim (British) and Anthony (South African) and together, they have produced the perfect mix of old world meets new world. The wines incorporate local stories like Flying Solo, which tell tales of the 1920s postmen who flew from Toulouse to Spain to deliver mail in single engine deathtraps as well as the famous Chemin de Moscou which has become a true bellwether of the region. The wines showcase regionality of the Languedoc mixed with clean bottles and plenty of personality.