|  |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | Monty | Country: France Region: Languedoc-Roussillon Size: 7 hectares Producer: Monty Waldin, Domaine Laguerre Organic Since: 2007
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| | Background | As a schoolboy Monty was sent to France by his teacher to improve his spoken French and ended up working in a vineyard - he started at the bottom and soon learnt to get his hands dirty scrubbing out buckets and pumps. The time spent there gave him a love of wine and he continued his work in the vineyards of Chile, Germany and California to name but a few, expanding his knowledge and his horizons. In his own words he "felt like a restaurant waiter frustrated at only ever being allowed to carry dishes to the table. Really what I wanted to be was the head chef selecting the ingredients and creating the dish myself." In 2006 with several books under his belt and many hours accrued working as an acclaimed freelance journalist in the world of wine Monty finally arrived at the point where he was able to become "head chef". Not one for doing things by halves Monty also enlisted Channel 4 to follow the trials and tribulations from vine to bottle ensuring that there was definitely no going back on this project. | | ![Background]() |
| | The estate | | Monty located a small vineyard of 2.2 hectares in the Roussillon region, which is approximately 1 hours drive away from Perpignan. The plot was ideal for him - for the steep slopes of the land were just what he was looking for, the height above sea level was 500 metres giving him a more Mediterranean climate and the rent was slightly cheaper due to the fact that a lot of the work would have to be done by hand. The only snag was that he couldn't purchase the vines as their owner Eric Laguerre was unwilling to sell the land that had been in family for generations, renting was the only way forward. | | ![The estate]() |
| | Organic philosophy | | Monty is quite clear cut when it comes to organic growing: "all that hands-on experience had absolutely convinced me of one thing: going to war on your vineyard every morning with a bunch of man-made chemicals was the surest way of producing artificial wines. Instead I'd use a type of organic winegrowing called Biodynamics. This uses natural forces - like those provided by the moon - as well as medicinal plants (chamomile, stinging nettle, dandelion...), minerals and natural cow manure composts to make stronger vines and healthier, more vital, more real-tasting wines." | | ![Organic philosophy]() |
| | Products at Vinceremos | Monty Red. Monty White | | ![Products at Vinceremos]() |
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 | Prosecco Frizzante 'Sora Loc', Perlage IGT (Italy) £7.60
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 | Trio Trocken, Stefan Sander 2011 £8.10
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 | Château de Boisfranc AC (Beaujolais) 2009 £8.60
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 | Inzolia, Era IGT 2010/11 £7.10
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 | Sangiovese, Era IGT 2010 £7.10
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