Great Promo Prices

From today and until the end of March take advantage of our great promotional prices on a selection of our tours departing from Bordeaux, Sarlat and Strasbourg.

SAINT CIRQ LAPOPIE AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS “PREFERED VILLAGE OF THE FRENCH” TITLE

On June 26th, France 2 TV channel organized a thrilling contest that aimed to make the French decide which village of France they preferred. The 22 selected villages, each one an ambassador of a French region, have in common their beauty and outstanding heritage, a unity in local architecture and a truly authentic feel to them.

Amongst the selected villages, Les Beaux de Provence (Provence), Collonges la Rouge (Limousin) or Beynac & Cazenac (Aquitaine) stood out as favorites. After the presentation of all the villages and 66 000 votes later the name of the winner was announced: SAINT CIRQ LAPOPIE (Midi Pyrénées).

Saint Cirq Lapopie is one of many French medieval hilltop villages, built on a cliff that overlooks the Lot River. For some, the village is not the most beautiful of all the villages that were selected but it undoubtedly is the most representative of the idea of what a French village should look like. With its cascades of roman and terra cotta tiles, the stone walls of its medieval houses, its turrets, arcades and small terraces, Saint Cirq perfectly cultivates the singularities of perched villages. In a sense, the village regroups all the elements that make French and foreigners alike dream about France.

We at Ophorus were of course very happy about this choice. Saint Cirq Lapopie is included in one of our most popular tours departing from Sarlat and that includes the visit of Pech Merle caves, the village of Saint Cirq and a stop in the city of Cahors. Moreover, the small village of Beynac that was also selected as the Aquitaine representative made it in the top ten. The village is also on one of our tours, the Domme / Beynac / La Roque Gageac tour.

To find out more about our destinations and itineraries, rendezvous on our website!
http://www.ophorus.com/day_trip.html

SARLAT & THE DORDOGNE 2012 SIGHTSEEING DAY TRIPS

Rocamadour village in the Quercy region

Present in the Dordogne since 2009, Ophorus has been providing small group regular or private sightseeing day tours departing from Sarlat la Canéda and that head towards all the major sights of the region. Conducted by accredited licensed English speaking driver/guides, all our tours are for small groups only and take place on board recent, comfortable and fully equipped 8 seater minivans.

For the 2012 season, we have made a selection of day trips that will allow you to discover all the treasures the Dordogne region has to offer. From mighty castles that date back to the 13th century, to some of the most famous prehistoric sights in the world (including Lascaux and Font de Gaume caves) the Dordogne region is also home to some of the most beautiful villages of France such as Saint Léon sur Vézère.

All our tours depart from the beautiful town of Sarlat la Canéda. It’s easy to succumb to the charms of this medieval town, with its lauze-stone roofs, medieval houses and Renaissance mansions. Located far from the main trade routes, this small town fell asleep and preserved much of its original 17th and 18th century architectural structure. Sarlat is also famous for its market that takes place twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The region being a rural farming area it is considered to be one of the top French "food" destinations. Local produce include the famous Gariguette strawberries, Goose magret and "foie gras", walnut cake and the black truffle locally coined the "black diamond".

Sarlat la Canéda

Our 4 days "Splendors of the Dordogne tour" that begins every Wednesdays or Saturdays has been especially designed to make you discover all the major sightseeing attractions of the Dordogne region in a relaxed way, in the hands of a professional and knowledgeable tour guide that will introduce you to this unspoilt area and all this at a very reasonable price.

For more information on our Splendors of the Dordogne tour follow this link. For more information on all our tours departing from Sarlat in the Dordogne region follow this link.

EXCLUSIVE SAINT EMILION UNDERGROUND MONUMENTS VISIT

Saint Emilion is without a doubt one of the most fascinating villages located next to Bordeaux. Not only is the area one of the most famous wine producing regions in the world, the village itself is a small gem.

Our Saint Emilion visit & wine half day tour will include the visit of this unique architectural wonder. Ophorus is proud to offer an exclusive visit of the underground monuments of Saint Emilion with one of our accredited tour guides. 

During a private guided tour you will discover the Romanesque church with catacombs that are as large as a cathedral: 125 ft long, 66 ft wide and 36 ft high. All you can see from the exterior are a few windows on the one facade and the steeple, topped with a Gothic arrow 174 ft high, that seems to have been set on the very ground at the top of the limestone cliff. Benedictine monks were the inspiration for this church carved out of solid rock which is Europe’s largest monolithic cathedral! This very strange sanctuary was built fairly quickly in the 11th century, taking only 40 years. After following a long gallery, one comes across an altar oriented towards the west, rather than the east as is the Christian tradition. The sobriety of the ornamentations stands in stark contrast with the wealth of lessons to be learned from them. Unfortunately, in the 18th century, revolutionaries scraped the church walls to collect the saltpeter they used as a base ingredient in gunpowder. A legend has it that women come to St. Emilion to sit on the hermit’s meditation armchair carved out of the limestone rock: Legend has it that sterile women who go there and make the wish to have a child find themselves pregnant within the following months.

SAINT EMILION HALF DAY WINE & VISIT

Languedoc wine tours

Starting in March of 2012, Ophorus will be offering wine tours departing from Toulouse and that will head towards all the major wine regions of the area. Among the most famous vineyards, we will offer tours heading towards Gaillac, Cahors, Fronton and Corbières/Minervois wine producing regions. 

FRONTON WINE TOUR

The Fronton vineyard is part of the South West wine producing region. Situated between Toulouse and Montauban the 2400 hectares of vines are layed out on large terrasses located between the Garonne and Tarn Rivers. It is a region where the summers are dry and hot. The gravel soil is poor and both quartz and iron dominate giving the Fronton wines all their complexity, richness and aromas.

« The Négrette », a unique grap variety !
As many wine regions of the South West of France have decided to plant the same type of grape varieties, the wine growers of Fronton have made the choice of planting and growing a unique grape variety called Négrette. It is because it is present in no other vineyard in the world that the wines of Fronton are so unique.

The wines
The rosé wines are fresh and fruity. They offer intense aromatique features, a nice length and are voluptuous. The reds are fine and complex. They produce wines with a strong note on the red berries ( red current, blackberries, respberries), of flowers (violets). The final is enriched with spice and licorice.  The high end cuvées represent the elite wines of the appellation. They denote body, concentration and harmony as well as the typicity of the different terroirs of the area.

Pick up at your centrally located Toulouse hotel and depart for the wine producing region of Fronton. At first drive through the scenic route des vins de Fronton and get a feel of the surrounding environment. Then your tour will take you to 2 major wineries of Fronton so that you may discover a bit more about this unique wine and understand the wine making process. Enjoy the visit and the wine tasting session in these two estates. Return to Toulouse. This wine tour is designed as a half day tour.

http://www.toulouse-tours.com/wine-tours/fronton-wine-tour/

GAILLAC WINE TOUR

Situated in the north of the Tarn departement, the Gaillac Appellation area covers 2.500 hectares spread over 73 communes, for an AOC production of over 165.000 hectolitres. Today, the appellation gathers around one hundred independent producers and 3 cooperative cellars. The 3 different terroirs and the age of the vineyard enable Gaillac to offer numerous traditional grape varieties. The diversity of the Gaillac vineyard means that it can produce a great variety of elaborate wines, a wide range of dry, sweet and "perled" white wines, red and rose wines as well as sparkling wines.

• Grape varieties

The traditional red wines of the region can be kept for 8–10 years. They are made of the grape varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Brocol, Duras, Fer or Syrah. Rosé is made from the same grapes.

"Primeur" red wine is made for drinking young, it's a marketing scheme based on Beaujolais Nouveau. The template is followed so closely that primeur wines must be made from the Gamay grape and are released for sale on the third Thursday of November. The white wines are made of Mauzac, Sauvignon Blanc or Muscadelle, Len de l'El (loin de l'oeil) and Ondenc, local grape varieties. Other types of wines include sweet white wines and a sparkling wine that uses the Champagne method and called methode Gaillacoise.

• The 3 terroirs of the Gaillac vineyard

The vineyard of Gaillac is divided into three distinct wine producing areas that are named terroirs. Each terroir is defined mainly by the type of soil found and the climatic conditions that have a direct influence on the grape variety grown, the type of wine made and the aromas one will find in the wines.

The Left Bank terraces:  This terroir stretches for 30 km at a low altitude and allows the vines to express all its potential in a mixed gravel, sand or sandy-clay soil. Some wine growers even speak of left bank Graves. This area is perfect for the reds. The Gaillac reds are complex wines with intense color. Rich and full bodied the wines can be kept 4 to 5 years or more on a great vintage. 

The Right Bank: Located along the Vere River, this large area stretches from the East to the West of the vineyard. The soil is mainly clay and limestone and the reds made of Duras, Syrah and Braucol grape varieties do well in this region. In the central part of the vineyard the Autan wind blows dry and warm heat during the summer and this is perfect for subtle and elegant whites, as well as fruity, full bodied and tannic reds. In the northern part of this are, the production is dedicated to dry whites or the famous ‘perled’ Gaillac white. These whites are crystalline or floral and can be delicate and of great finesse.

The Cordes Plateau: The vines of this terroir are planted at an altitude between 250 à 300 meters. This makes this area the last of the terroirs to be harvested from 10 to 15 days later than the vines located next to the Tarn. The soil here is a clay and limestone area. Because of its soil, location and climate conditions the white wines made here are well balanced, rich in flowery aromas, fruity and fresh. The reds are also well balanced but more nervous, full bodied and can be layed down for 4 to 6 years. 

http://www.toulouse-tours.com/wine-tours/gaillac-wine-tour/

CAHORS WINE TOUR

Originally from Cahors, locally known as Cot or Auxerrois, Malbec is the dominant grape variety of Cahors wines. It is supplemented by up to 30% Merlot and Tannat. As a reflection of the character of the Malbec variety, Cahors wines can be rather tannic when young, and benefit from aging. There are 4,400 hectares (10,000 acres) of Cahors vineyards. The designation AOC Cahors may only be used for red wines even though there is also some white and rosé wine produced in the same area but it falls under the designation Vin de Pays du Lot instead.

• Ideal climate conditions

Oceanic but under a strong influence from the Mediterranean, the climate that can be found around the Cahors vineyard is characterized by less rain fall than in Bordeaux. In the autumn, the Autan wind blows a dry hot air coming from the south that provides perfect maturity to the berries whilst the Lot River is a natural thermal regulator.

• The terraces of the Lot Valley

The terraces of the Lot are divided into three distinct areas composed of alluviums that originated from the Central Mountain range. The more one rises, the more the soils are drained. The terraces adjacent to the river produce subtle and fruity wines. The mid terraces give much more ample type wines. The higher terraces as well as the Grèzes areas, composed of limestone blocs originating from the Causse plateau, are the ones that give the richer type Cahors that are fit for being layed down. Above 300 meters altitude, on the limestone plateau that is less fertile than the terraces and where the influence of the River is less effective, the wines produced there are less full bodied but of great finesse.

http://www.toulouse-tours.com/wine-tours/cahors-wine-tour/ 

LANGUEDOC WINE TOUR

The Languedoc wine region is located in southern France, spanning along the Mediteranean from the Spanish border to the south to the Provence region to its East. The area has around 700,000 acres (2,800 km²) under vines and is the single biggest wine-producing region in the world, being responsible for more than a third of France's total wine production. As recently as 2001, the region produced more wine than the entire United States.

• Corbières

The Corbières appellation is this region's largest AOC, responsible for 46 per cent of the region's AOC wine production in 2005. Red wine dominates the production 95 per cent, with 3.5 per cent rosé wine and 2 per cent white wine making up the balance. Carignan is the most common grape variety. The AOC was created in 1985, covers 13,500 hectares (33,000 acres) of vineyards and produces an average of 554 000 hectoliter of wine per year, corresponding to 74 million bottles.

For red wines, a minimum of two grape varieties must be used. Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre and Syrah (the main grape varieties with the exception of Carignan) must together make up at least 50 per cent of the blend. Carignan, Picquepoul Noir, and Terret Noir can together not make up more than 50 per cent of the blend. A maximum of 20 per cent Cinsaut and a maximum of 10 per cent Grenache Gris is allowed.

• Minervois

The red wines of the Minervois appellation are produced from Carignan (which can account for no more than 40% of the blend), Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvedre, and Syrah grapes. The white wines (which are less prevalent) include varietals such as Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Maccabeu, Bourboulenc, Rolle, Clairette and Muscat.

AOC regulations require the wine to be blended, so single varietals are necessarily Vin de Pays. Historically, the region's capital has been the village of Minerve.

http://www.toulouse-tours.com/wine-tours/languedoc-wine-tour/