Couples who choose to host a wedding have to consider several things when it comes to planning, and there are many questions that arise early in the process. What to wear, where to have the event, when to get married, who to invite and how we’re going to pull off the day of our dreams are all top-of-mind for future brides and grooms. Every couple has different priorities.
When I got engaged and started down the path of wedding planning, the most important thing for me was ensuring our guests had the meal of a lifetime, complete with perfect wine pairings, of course. You really can’t be a wine writer and have terrible wines poured at your wedding. No, that just wasn’t an option.
(Pattie Fellowes Photography)
Gerard Bertrand Ballerine Brut Étoile Rosé – a sparkling blend of chardonnay, chenin blanc and pinot noir – was one of the wines served during the festivities.
My partner and I chose early on to have our wedding in France. Both of us are passionate about French wines, and we share a love of traveling to that country. Besides, French cuisine is revered as one of the best in the world. If we were going to have an epic wine dinner to celebrate our marriage, this would be one of the top places to consider.
OK, France. But where? For world-renowned wines, we could have chosen to go to Burgundy or Bordeaux, or even Champagne, but these regions – albeit all beautiful places – seemed so obvious. And if you’ve been keeping up with any of my writing through the years, one thing you may have noticed is that I’m drawn to lesser-known regions and authentic wine experiences (in between bottles of Champagne), so there had to be somewhere else that would be more “us.”
We very quickly decided on Château l’Hospitalet in the Languedoc wine region, located on the Mediterranean Coast in the South of France. We chose this venue for several reasons. I had previously visited the château on a trip to the annual summer music festival, Jazz à l’Hospitalet, held at the property, and knew this place would be a stunningly beautiful wedding venue (I was right).
(Jacqueline Coleman)
Sommelier Pierre-Alexis Mengual presents Bertrand’s icon rosé, Clos du Temple.
I also knew that the winemaker and owner, Gérard Bertrand, makes great wines that wouldn’t disappoint our guests. Additionally, the property is home to a couple of restaurants, one of which is a fantastic gastronomique place called L’Art de Vivre, “the art of living.” Yes, this would be the scene of our wedding night celebration dinner.
The Region of “Yes”
The Languedoc wine region in France may not be as well known as the beforementioned regions, but it has been a historically significant region both in terms of wine and also in the context of Roman history.
The name Languedoc comes from “langue d’Oc,” or, the language of Oc, or Occitan. “Oc” means “yes,” and this could be interpreted as meaning this is a land of opportunity. Opportunity certainly abounds here in organic agriculture, as does biodynamic agriculture, something Bertrand is known for and is a leader in championing.
The Romans found this region to be extremely important as part of the Via Domitia, the road that connected Italy to Spain. This ancient byway, once lined with vineyards, was an important wine trading route. The significant Roman city of Narbo Martius was located along this road. Now called Narbonne, this is where we asked our guests to meet us for our celebration.
(Pattie Fellowes Photography)
Château L’Hospitalet Grand Vin Blanc was a crowd favorite among the wedding guests.
The Land of Wines
Bertrand is native to the region and makes iconic wines across his 17 estates. Château l’Hospitalet, originally built in the 16th century, has become a headquarters for his luxury wine tourism, and a place for the celebration of art, music, wine and gastronomy.
We invited our guests to spend three days with us here, enjoying the wines of this property and several other Bertrand estates around the Languedoc.
One of the wines that made an appearance at our welcome reception and later at our “la vie en rose” farewell brunch is one of my favorite rosés. Gris Blanc ($15.99 at Total Wine) is made from grenache gris and grenache noir grapes. This rosé is pale pink, with fresh red berry flavors and a satisfying minerality. And at this affordable price point, it’s one of the best rosés out there.
(Pattie Fellowes Photography)
Prior to a seated dinner, guests were treated to hors d’oeuvres that showcased local Mediterranean cuisine.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bertrand also produces the most expensive rosé, Clos du Temple ($164.99 at Total Wine), from his biodynamic Clos du Temple estate in the smaller region of Cabrières. A blend of five grapes – grenache, cinsault, syrah, mourvèdre and viognier – this is a rosé for serious wine lovers and it pairs excellently with meals. We enjoyed this icon wine with one of our dinner courses.
The Meal & Pairings
Because we knew the dinner at L’Art de Vivre would be magnificent, we entrusted chef Laurent Chabert and award-winning executive sommelier Pierre-Alexis Mengual with creating a “blind” menu of only the freshest local and seasonal ingredients. We discovered each course with our guests, sharing the surprise culinary celebration with them.
(Pattie Fellowes Photography)
Mediterranean Dentex fish was served as part of the third course.
Each dish was expertly paired with a Bertrand wine, including an incredible Legend Vintage Maury vin du naturel fortified wine from 1939 to top off dessert – impressing even the most seasoned wine lovers in attendance.
Perfect Pairings
Our sublime menu had several guests remarking that it had “ruined them” for future wedding reception meals. Seems our first marriage goal of hosting guests at the dinner of a lifetime with perfect wine pairings was achieved!
Dish 1: Braised Sucrine, watercress coulis, koji, Celeyran turnip carpaccio, spicy oil
Wine 1: Chateau L’Hospitalet Grand Vin Blanc 2021 – AOP La Clape; $41.99 at Wine.com
Dish 2: Celeyran zucchini blossom filled with smoked sturgeon and zucchini on a bed of sautéed mushrooms and zucchini, reduced mushroom jus and Sturia Oscietre Classique Caviar
(Pattie Fellowes Photography)
Guests were “wowed” by the Legend Vintage Maury 1939 that was served with dessert.
Wine 2: Clos du Temple 2021 – AOP Languedoc-Cabrières; $164.99 at Total Wine
Dish 3: Mediterranean dentex fish, green beans, chanterelle mushrooms and red wine fish jus
Wine 3: Aigle Royal Chardonnay 2021 – AOP Limoux; 64 euros (about $70) at the winery
Palate Cleanser: Sheep yogurt mustard sorbet with herb “snow”
Dish 4: Aubrac beef, spinach and anchovy coulis, white asparagus from the Eastern Pyrenees and reduced beef jus, with Taggiasca olives
Wine 4: Clos d’Ora 2017 – AOP Minervois-La-Livinière; $269.99 at Total Wine
Desserts: Almond milk ice cream, granola, candied kumquat, fresh grapefruit, almond emulsion and almond praline
Strawberries from Saint-André-de-Roquelongue, Espelette chili strawberry sorbet, strawberry tuile, whipped Anjou cream, strawberry extraction juice and toasted genoise bread
Wine 5: Legend Vintage Maury 1939; not currently available in the U.S.