Château Haut-Gléon to open its gates to tourists

By Carol Emmas, Emily Kearns

Published: 24 October, 2013

Southern French wine co-operative Les Vignobles Foncalieu is opening its Château Haut-Gléon vineyards as a wine tourism destination.

Originating from the 13^th century and built by the Viscount of Narbonne, it was given to the Treilles family who adopted the De Gléon name. The property was acquired in 2012 by Les Vignobles Foncalieu and since 1991 had previously been owned by the Duhamel family who transformed it into a prestige venue.

The estate at Villesèque-les-Corbières is located in the Vallée du Paradis, in the Corbières appellation. It has 36ha of vines and produces a range of wines under the Château Haut-Gléon name and a range of red, white and rosé wines from classic and traditional Languedoc grape varieties.

The château includes B&B guest bedrooms, and for corporate functions it has a selection of rooms for meetings, seminars and professional training. It will also run wine tastings, classes, themed events and evenings, plus vineyard visits for the general public, as well as offer options to cycle and visit local historic sites.

UK on-trade manager, Marie-Annick Consola, said: "We believe that Haut-Gléon is an interesting destination, not only for wine tourists or tasting and buying wine, but also for spending stress-free moments.

She added: "We hope to welcome local people from the close cities like Toulouse and Montpellier, as well as visitors from a wide international public such as northern Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia. In our opinion wine and tourism are completely matched. The wine will push the tourism and the tourism will push the sales of wine."

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