The home of Vin en Vacances is an old winery that had been abandoned many decades ago until we rescued it in 2017. It was slowly crumbling but still stood proud amidst the decay and over the past few years we have had the pleasure of breathing new life into it.
During the preceding 60 years the roof had fallen in and the ceiling had rotted as had the old barrels and foudre where the wines used to be made and matured. The building stands prominently by the swift and normally shallow waters of the Clamoux river in the pretty village of Villeneuve-Minervois close to Carcassonne. In the days of bulk wine production, it played it’s part in churning out the cheap deep red wines that Languedoc was once famous for. But when we found it nature had taken over. Misshapen fig trees smothered the courtyard and the old press was rusting away in a dark corner.
The stable where the plough horses had munched their hay after a long day in the vines was a forlorn looking place with rotting harness and old cartwheels leaning discarded against the walls. It was a tangle of forgotten jumble but for us it was a coup de foudre, love at first sight. We bought it without venturing upstairs as there was no longer a staircase and besides the floor was too dangerous to set foot on. But looking up through a gaping hole we could see an old carriage minus its wheels dangling on rusty chains from the rafters. It harked back to an era of prosperity. A time when Languedoc fulfilled a role of bulk wines for the masses. The carriage had been winched up when the moat-like river that swirls around the walls broke its banks and the horses and people fled. Perhaps they intended to come back when the waters receded but maybe the aftermath of the flood was too difficult to face or too expensive to fix. And so this place remained empty for six decades until we came along.
We feel privileged to be the current custodians of this lovely old building and look forward to welcoming you to L’Ancienne Cave to share a glass of the quality wine now produced in this region.
L’Ancienne Cave
The home of Vin en Vacances is an old winery that was abandoned many decades ago until we rescued it in 2017. It was slowly crumbling but still stood proud amidst the decay and over the past few years […]
Slowly but Surely
Over the past few months we suffered some setbacks which slowed the progress of our project down considerably but a few weeks ago it began to move more quickly again and now we are seeing some real progress. Overseeing all […]
Barn News
The sun has shone almost every day since the beginning of June and temperatures have been high and difficult to work in but the pace has been steady and we are starting to see big differences in our project. Fisher […]
And so the wheels go round..!
Over the last couple of months there’s been a great deal of progress and soon we will be able to reveal the upstairs of the Old Winery as all the rooms are now laid out. The first fix electrics have […]
In the Rafters
Its been a busy couple of months and thanks to the glorious weather the builders were able to crack on and finished the roof a couple of weeks go. You can just see the new pan tiles on the above […]
Beam Me UP..!
We had hoped the roof would be finished by now but due to the flooding the Languedoc suffered last October most of the builders in the area were helping people fix up their damaged properties so we were happy to […]
Slow Progress…
Its been a while since we updated our blog on the progress of the Old Winery renovation and that’s because progress has been slow. But last week the old roof was taken off and that’s given a big boost to […]
Carts & Carriages
Buying this old building has been a little like stepping into a time capsule. We believe the old winery was abandoned over 60 years ago, probably due to a devastating flood. There is evidence that belongings of value were hoisted […]
Block & Beam
Its been an action packed couple of months since we last posted progress at The Old Winery as in goes the concrete block and beam ceiling. This will help to pull the old building together and give us a wonderful […]
Its coming on..!
Progress throughout this month has been in leaps and bounds with Tom and Fisher working hard every day with John our Builder who we have re-named ‘The Machine’. He has such strength and stamina, he never seems to get tired! […]
Our fabulous Workaways
Work on the Old Winery began in earnest Last week when we were joined by Hannah & Lucas from Colorado and Wendy’s son Tom. We found Hannah & Lucas through www.workaway.info a great website for people who want to travel […]
House for Sale in Languedoc
Update on The Old Winery – Over the last couple of months we have spent our time clearing out The Old Winery which has taken a lot of work. It was full to the brim with junk, piles of rotting vegetation, […]
L’Ancienne Cave – A New Vin en Vacances Project
2017 was a wonderful year for Fisher and me. We met in January and very soon knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and so Fisher came to live with me in France. The village where […]