wine and food tasting in the LOT region south west France

WINE TASTING AT YOUR PLACE OR MINE?

A LITTLE ABOUT A LOT

France offers a delightful gastronomic experience, no matter which region you choose to explore. The Lot Valley (department 46), located near Toulouse and Bordeaux, is a picturesque part of France that allows for day trips while providing a tranquil setting for a relaxing getaway. Each month brings new opportunities for harvesting, celebrating, and exploring the region's offerings. Delight in tasting everything the Lot Valley and its surroundings have to offer by visiting wineries, food producers, and local markets to savor the wonderful array of products available.‘Tasting The Lot' is exactly that. A taste of the Lot! Experience the true essence of the Lot region and join Luci's engaging wine tastings to discover fascinating insights about local regional wines, various grape varieties, French wine names, diverse winemaking techniques, and where to purchase them. Food and wine pairing events offer a fantastic way to learn about local delicacies, helping English non-French-speaking visitors feel more at ease during their stay.Enjoy wine tastings at your holiday accommodation upon request or at a nearby location close to your stay.

A Little About Your Host

“After working as a restaurant manager for over a decade in the Cotswolds, I ventured to New Zealand and gained experience in various vineyards and wineries.
Upon returning to the UK, I gained Wine Studies and WSET qualifications at Plumpton College, Sussex.
I then embarked on a global journey, working in vineyards and wineries in the UK, New Zealand, and France.
Returning to London, I oversaw the Tour and Tasting department at Vinopolis, organised wine tastings on the London Eye, collaborated on wine events with Red Letter days, Oz Clarke and Paxton and Whitfield and participated in the BBC Good Food Show. Simultaneously, I pursued studies at Prue Leith's School of Food and Wine, immersing myself in the delightful world of food and wine daily. Working alongside fantastic individuals in London, Brighton, Oxford and Birmingham has been a truly rewarding experience.My parents purchased a home in France in the early '90s, leading me to relocate here 15 years ago to work on a book titled "Tasting The Lot," a gourmet travel guide dedicated to exploring the Lot Valley and its culinary treasures. Progress has been gradual, as I continually discover new and exciting topics to write about, taste and savour each year. The completion is on the horizon, and I aim to publish it soon. For the latest updates, follow me on Facebook and Instagram.”

FOOD AND WINE TASTING

Tasting The Lot offers food and wine tastings in your home, whether you live in the Lot or on holiday. A selection of local wines and locally produced food brought to your door for you to try.All tastings are conducted in English, a brief discussion about the area, the vineyards and the local delights that are available.

An informative evening where we guide you on how to taste wines, pairing with local foods, how and why somethings taste wonderful together and where it all goes wrong, also how to and where to where to buy wines from.Tasting The Lot does not sell wine, we purely taste wine with you to give you the confidence and encouragement to go visit local wineries of the wines you know you like, so you can buy direct from the producer to continue the wonderful wine experience in the Lot.

TASTING THE LOT PRESERVES

Combining the abundance of beautiful produce from the Lot with my passion for making jam, marmalade, chutney and sauces results in creating exceptional preserves.
It all started around 15 years ago, when I made lemon and lavender marmalade for Christmas. This led to making additional lavender jam and even chutney! I enjoyed the diverse flavours and continued to explore various local tastes and ingredients, especially with The Quercy offering such a wealth of fabulous local produce.
I was thrilled when the English WI hosted a jam competition that I participated in. I entered various jams and chutneys, including melon and lavender jam, lemon and lavender marmalade, plum and mulled Malbec wine jam, fig and Quercy saffron, and my now infamous Père Noël (spiced pear) chutney. I did exceptionally well, coming in second place behind pineapple and coconut jam, still extremely pleased with the result!Fast forward to today and my homemade preserves are prominently showcased in 'Tasting The Lot.' When teaching cheese and wine pairing, I enhance the experience by serving my own chutney – it's spicy, zesty, and full of flavour to help awaken the senses. We also offer welcome baskets for gite companies that provide a warm introduction to the region. Including: Breakfast items, a selection of local treats, and various chutney flavours are highly favoured by our guests.For more information and a price list please email:

QUERCY IN QUARTERS

Seems odd to start with Winter and not Spring, but we roll with the seasons and the start of the year is most definitely Winter.Each month something fantastic is in season, for whatever reason. We are starting a new blog page from Tasting the Lot called The Lot in a Year. Tasting the Lot is primarily about wine and food tasting and to keep things informative and as helpful as possible you can follow the seasons on that page.

Winter: January, February and March

Months where we focus on Truffles, Quercy lamb (Caussenade sheep are beautiful and easily recognisable with their black eye circle markings) and Duck. The lot is famed for its duck, bred specifically for their meat, these birds are seen in enormous flocks throughout the Quercy.

Spring: April, May and June

Springtime brings us amazing cheeses, figs and the most wonderful lavender fields, where its wonderful to smell, listen to the bees and just stare!

Summer: July, August and September

Summer….oh how we love the summers in the Lot. Garlic, melon and prunes! This month you can even find places to harvest your own melons should you so wish!

Autumn: October, November and December

Winter, its cosy food by the fire time and the most amazing foraging walks! Walnuts, saffron and chestnuts.

A GREAT PLACE TO TASTE

Wine tastings at your place or mine started in London! I had to go into corporate enterprises and take wine tastings for happy but slightly bored office staff as a treat! It's absolutely lovely to share knowledge of something, wine is so diverse. Trying to match peoples preferences with a wine made by someone who has their own preferences is great fun.
Wine tastings are bespoke, Tasting the Lot askes lots of questions before the wine tasting to give the very best experience.
Below are links to some great places to stay where we have had some successful wine tastings...

MAISON DE CLUZEAU
Nicky Parker

LE BOURG
Nick Jones

CHATEAU JONCASSES
Nicky Jackson

LES RAZES
Sylvie Dekens

LABARDE
Anna Sims Mackenzie

LA GARNISON & COUCOU COTTAGE
Rachel Johnson

LE COUCOU
Emma Neilson

Halcyon Leisure

I have just been introduced to the new owners of a holiday company:
Halcyon Leisure www.halcyonleisure.com
We've carefully selected a few places to stay that are perfect for wine tastings, we look forward very much to welcoming you to the surrounding area.

CLAVEL
Sleeps 6

VERDUS
Sleeps 6

SOUS LES ÉTOILES
Sleeps 6

LA FORGE
Sleeps 6

VIDALOT
Sleeps 8

SECRET BOURIETTE
Sleeps 8

CANARD
Sleeps 12

CHÊNES D'ESCAYRAC
Sleeps 12

LES VIEILLES EPOQUES
Sleeps 12 or 16

MAISONS D'AVOINE
Sleeps 16

VIEUX MIROU
Sleeps 24

Please do get in touch with Halcyon Leisure if you are interested in staying at any of these fabulous properties in The Lot Valley.

Contact Me

For more information or to make a booking,
please don't hesitate to get in touch.