Discover a Little Treasure for Christmas: Chateau Mayne Pargade

We have a lovely white wine which would be beautiful with your Christmas Turkey – it is, quite simply, delicious This terrific wine comes from Chateau Mayne Pargade in the sleepy little hamlet of Soulignac, near Haut Benauge, and is, in fact, owned by the local Mayor, Alain Pargade.

Alain owns several chateaux dotted about this hilly area and Mayne Pargade sits on the crest of a little hill on clay limestone with its vineyards looking down on the land below.

Visit the area and you step back in time. Soulignac clings to a hillside and the vineyards lie on ancient ground – standing stones hide behind the hillocks and occasionally arrow heads and blades are dug up from between the vine roots.

The main industry of the village is wine making and this has gone on for centuries – if not millennia. Sixty years ago, just after the end of the Second World War, a Roman treasure was discovered there of 359 bronze and silver coins dating back to 255 – 355 AD.

Beneath the soil lies the Roman villa of Solinius, from whom Soulignac takes its name. There are records of a Gallic Prince named Solinius circa 275 – perhaps it was this Roman’s hoard of coins that was discovered in 1946.

He may have had his own vineyards here and he may have even been growing white grapes. We will never know for certain if he did but the Romans did enjoy white wine.

Pliny writes about Albanum, a light white wine and there were also the sweet white wines Falernum and Caecuban. Columella describes Passum, a sweet white wine made from dried grapes. Believe it or not the Romans even enjoyed a sparkling white wine named Aigleucos.

This area is renowned for its white wines today and Chateau Mayne Pargade is an excellent example of just how good these wines from small traditional producers are.

Chateau Mayne Pargade 2010 is a pale silvery lemon in colour with a pearlescent sheen. This is a very aromatic wine with notes of sweet summer hay, fragrant broom blossom and beeswax.

It has good crisp acidity, great structure and balance with flavours of pear, quince and lime. It’s perfect with roast turkey and will also pair well with chicken, smoked salmon and gravlax, white fish and seafood, pork, quiches and soft cheese.

What’s more we have reduced the price especially for Christmas so that you can enjoy it with your Christmas fayre and over the festive season. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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