Top Carcassonne Cooking Classes

Alex was so knowledgeable and professional. We even got to pick our own grapes in addition to the several vineyards and tastings. It was great!

I’ve been on several vineyards tours before but Alex set us up to actually pick grapes and get a chance to meet one of the owners and her family! What a memorable experience! Alex is also extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of the vineyard/wine business from planting to harvesting to pressing and fermenting to the various types of wine in the Languedoc. We felt the price for this day tour was a real bargain for everything we learned. We also loved seeing the countryside around Carcassonne!

Fabulous day spent touring vineyards of Languedoc (4) and seeing the lovely countryside. Loved the personalised experience of meeting the vineyard owners and hearing about how they use different methods to produce their wines to the highest quality, and trying the different types of wines from each one. Alex was an excellent host, so knowledgeable about the region as well as the wines. Lovely lunch at restaurant on Canal du midi. Appreciated being dropped back at La Cite after visit to the shop to buy some of the wines we liked best.

An excellent day spent in the supremely knowledgeable Alex. We went for the full day version which included lunch (and wines).What makes the trip so enjoyable (apart from the various wine tastings) is Alex’s encylopaedic knowledge of wine and the local area.I’m not a wine buff but even I can remember what we drank and the different grape varieties!Well worth doing and I would thoroughly recommend the full day trip.

Alex is an incredibly knowledgeable host. We had a fabulous half day with him visiting vineyards in the Limoux region, followed by an exceptional lunch of cheese and charcuterie whilst Alex shared some very unusual regional wines with us. If you don't have time to take a trip with him then a visit to his shop is a must.

We had a brilliant half day wine experience with Alex. The visits to two wineries (one specialising in sparkling wines and one in still wines) were fascinating and we even squeezed in a third stop for a quick tasting. Back at the shop, Alex guided us through an in depth tasting paired with an excellent selection of cheeses and charcuterie.In total we tried more than 15 wines, all of which were superb. Alex was incredibly knowledgeable, articulate, and passionate and we came away having learned so much about wine and how it’s made.I would recommend this tour 100% and would happily do it again in a heartbeat.

(This review is of the tour we did with Alex in 2025, which I thought I'd posted at the time, but apparently not!)Having been picked up from our hotel by Alex from Vins & Vinos, our first stop was at Domaine Pierre Cros, where met Pierre, had a quick tour of the winery, and tasted five of his stunning single varietal wines in his tasting room. We then headed out through his vineyards to taste two more wines among the vines that produced them, including his fabulous old vine Carignan,Our next stop was Chateau St Jacques d'Albas, an organic winery where some of the vines are overlooked by an 11th century chapel. Here we tasted white wines made from Viognier, Vermentino, Roussanne, and Marsanne, a rosé from a Syrah Grenache, and a sweet, late harvest Petit Manning.Our final winery stop was Close Centeilles, where winemaker Cécile showed us around the winery started by her mother. They have beautiful walled vineyards where they're growing grapes with as little intervention as possible, again focusing on traditional varieties. 
In their cellar they keep bottles of every wine they’ve made, so if you think a particular wine should age well, they’ll have an older version you can buy to make sure! We tasted six wines here and all were great. It was a real privilege to be able to try Le C de Centeilles Rouge, a blend of ‘forgotten’ red varieties, and Le C de Centeilles Blanc, a blend of Riveyrenc Blanc, Riveyrenc Gris, and Araignan Blanc. Amazing wines that prove these varieties should not be ignored.As well as wineries, Alex took us to a couple of notable vineyards for more tastings. 

Firstly, we tasted the Domaine La Tour Boisée Plantation 1905 in the vineyard where the 23 varieties blended to make it have grown since it was planted in—you guessed it—1905.In Félines-Minervois, next to a windmill, we also visited a small vineyard that has references of lots of the region's original grape varieties. There is a board as you approach which tells you which varieties are planted where, so, as Alex produced a bottle of Domaine de la Dourbie Mas Moustache Terret Blanc, we headed off to taste it among the Terret Blanc vines!We also stopped at a vineyard in St Jean de Minervois to taste a couple of sweet wines, including an interesting sweet Grenache that reminded us of port.Our lunch stop was at the beautiful Aux 2 Rivières restaurant in Minerve. Here we enjoyed a three course meal with individual wine pairings while sitting on their terrace, overlooking the river gorge. The food, wine, and views were all stunning, and would definitely be worth a visit if you’re in the area.This is a fantastic tour for any wine lover. You'll meet some wonderful producers, learn a lot regardless of how much or little you already know about wine, winemaking, or the region, and taste an array of amazing wines in beautiful surroundings.

My partner and I spent the day with Alex exploring vineyards across the Minervois, it was the highlight of our trip! His relationships with the vineyard owners gave us a real behind-the-scenes feel for the region and its wine producers. We visited 4 wineries throughout the day and had a delicious gourmet lunch with wine and a view in-between (a restaurant we would not have found without Alex’ knowledge of the area). He went above and beyond for us, as far as helping us out the next day on the trip with getting wine back to the UK, and providing us with many fantastic recommendations for restaurants and other wineries post the tour! 6 starts out of 5!

My partner and I spent the day with Alex exploring vineyards across the Minervois, it was the highlight of our trip. His relationships with the vineyard owners gave us a real behind-the-scenes feel for the region and its wine producers. Lunch was incredible (delicious and in a perfect location - something we would not have found without him) and his recommendations post the tour were invaluable. He went above and beyond for us, as far as helping us out the next day on the trip with getting wine back to the UK, we would reccomend his tour in a heartbeat, would give 6 stars if I could!

The host was a very friendly knowledgeable man who as well as teaching about the wines gave a lot of detail about the areas we travelled through.

Had a wonderful wine tour with Alex, whose knowledge and enthusiasm for the Languedoc wine region and wine in general makes for a perfect trip. Definitely one of the best wine tours we have ever taken.

Alex is the owner of Vins & Vinos and, having spent over 40 years in the wine trade, there isn’t much he doesn’t know, especially about wines of the Languedoc. He has a particular interest in lesser-known grape varieties and, as we like to seek these out too, a day spent in Minervois visiting vineyards and producers, and tasting wines made from grapes we’d never heard of (plus a few we had!) was absolutely perfect. Even the lunch we had at Aux 2 Rivières in Minerve, with the optional wine pairing for each course, couldn’t have been better, and the views from the terrace were spectacular.

An absolutely wonderful experience, from the very start of the day until we finished Alex was teaching us all about the wines of the local area. We saw some stunning views and met many lovely and welcoming people along the way as well as getting to same some of the best wines we’ve ever had. We can’t recommend this activity enjoy, the holing light of our entire trip 😁

I've been on many wine tours around the world, but this one stood out thanks to Alex's incredible knowledge, deep passion for the region and genuine enthusiasm for sharing it! His close relationships with the local winemakers gave us rare access, not just to the wines, but to the people and stories behind them which added depth to the experience.Alex planned the day thoughtfully, including a fantastic lunch in a charming village. He also designed the route to allow for exploration of the area, with plenty of opportunities to take in stunning views, adding to the day’s overall experience.If you enjoy wine and want to go beyond just tasting, this is a great way to connect with the region. I would absolutely recommend it!

We had the most incredible private wine tour with Alex during our trip to France – myself, my sister and our mom. From the moment he picked us up at our hotel in his comfortable car, we knew we were in great hands.Alex took us to three vineyards, each with its own charm and character. At the first stop, we got a private tour from the owner himself, walking us through the entire process – from the freshly picked grapes, through pressing, fermenting, bottling, storing, and all the intricate steps that go into making sparkling wine. We tasted four different wines and learned how even small variations in the process can create totally different results. Fascinating!Our second stop was at a larger vineyard, where we learned more about the aging process and got to sample even more wines in a beautiful setting.The third vineyard was a true highlight – although the owner wasn’t there, Alex had thought of everything. He packed glasses (with our names written on them!) and brought bottles so we could do a tasting among the vines. Standing there in the vineyard, sipping different varieties, was magical.We ended the tour at Alex’s wine shop Vins et Vinos in Carcassonne, where we had a delicious lunch of bread and charcuterie, and of course, more wine. Throughout the day, Alex shared his deep knowledge of the region, the grapes, the winemaking process, and the people behind it all. He could answer every question we threw at him (and we had a lot!). His passion and dedication are contagious – it’s clear he’s devoted his life to this, and it made the experience truly special.Whether you’re a wine novice or a seasoned enthusiast, I cannot recommend Alex’s tours enough. If you’re visiting the Languedoc region, book a tour with Alex. You’ll come away with great memories, a deeper appreciation for wine, and maybe a few bottles too 😉

This was an incredible experience. Alex was so knowledgeable about the vineyards, the wine varieties, the culture of wine, the local geology, the history of the region, and the food in the area. This was the best trip I have even been on to tour wineries and vineyards. I highly suggest others to go on this trip.