What to drink for a perfect Languedoc picnic?

Summer is officially here, and what could be better than settling down in a park, feet in the grass with a basket full of good things to eat and drink! Clémence Fabre, winegrower at Château de Luc gives us 3 recipes directly from the family cookbook.Considered as the Fabre family's "must have" dishes, Clémence's anchoïade, tapenade and pepper cake will easily find a place on your picnic menu as well as on a large family table. As a bonus: Clémence even delivers the ideal wine to accompany this perfect Languedoc picnic!

Recipe for Clémence Fabre's anchoïade, to be served with small vegetables.

Ingredients for 6 people: 1 jar of anchovies, 1 clove of garlic, olive oil, vegetables of your choice

Preparation :

• Put the anchovy fillets under a trickle of cold water.
• Remove the bones from the fillets to keep only the flesh.
• In a mortar, pound the flesh with the garlic clove.
• Then loosen the ointment with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Book in a cool place. At serving time, propose this anchovyade with small vegetables to dip: peppers, tomatoes, carrots, celery, radishes, cauliflower, artichokes, etc.

The real home-made tapenade of Clémence Fabre, winemaker at Château de Luc.

Ingredients for 6 people: 400g pitted black olives, 200g capers, 100g anchovies in oil, 4 cloves of garlic, 5cl olive oil.

Preparation :

• Peel the garlic cloves, cook them in water, drain them and leave them out in the open air.
• Place the garlic, olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil in a blender.
• Mix everything together until you obtain a homogenous paste without obtaining a purée: you must keep small pieces of the ingredients that give flavour to your tapenade.
• Serve on toast.

The pepper cake from "Lorette", perfect for a summer picnic.

For the little story, Lorette was the nurse of Clémence, her twin sister and their little brother.

Ingredients for 6 people: 2 red peppers, 4 eggs, 1 sachet of yeast, 100g flour, 100g grated gruyere cheese, 100g bacon, 1 glass of dry white wine, olive oil

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 201°C (thermostat 7).
• Empty and cut the peppers into small pieces.
• Whisk the eggs with the oil and wine.
• Add the gruyere cheese, flour and baking powder.
• Add the bacon and peppers.
• Stir. Butter and flour a mold, then pour the preparation.
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

What wine to accompany a picnic? The AOC Corbières Rosé 2015 of Château de Luc

Delicate, fresh and mineral, the AOC Corbières Rosé 2015 is a wine that will go perfectly with summer dishes (gourmet salads, spicy Mediterranean dishes, marinated meats...). For the record, the grapes for this rosé are harvested at night in order to preserve all the aromatic potential of the berries. Pale, with salmon reflections and a delicate nose, the AOC Corbières Rosé 2015 reveals aromas of lychee and vine peaches, which go perfectly with summer dishes.

Meeting with Clémence Fabre, winemaker at Château de Luc (Languedoc)

Clémence Fabre in the cellars of Château de Luc, owned by the family since 1878.

Since 1605, 17 generations of winegrowers have succeeded one another at Château de Luc. For a long time, the succession was from father to son, but a little novelty today, with the arrival of the new generation in 2014: Clémence & Paule!Anxious to preserve the environment (for the consumer, as well as for the land itself), the estate has been in organic farming for several decades already. The Fabre family now owns 4 estates, all converted to organic agriculture : the Domaine Grande Courtade in Béziers (which produces a light and fruity rosé, just as good as the Château de Luc), the Château de Luc in Luc sur Orbieu, the Château Fabre Gasparets in Boutenac and the Château Coulon in Cruscades.

Shamini (Les Grappes)