Scea Chateau de Viella

This is such a lovely place. You really feel welcome, once they notice you’re pressing your noses to the glass (It is worth phoning in advance if, like us, you’re slightly out of season.) You can visit for a wine tasting, and then take a walk around the lovely grounds, including a visit to the cellars in the château, and then have a picnic in the gardens (take your own picnic). Oh and don’t worry if their dog accompanies you round, seemingly he does that a lot.
The wine is L’AOC Madiran, and they grow a lot of Tannat grapes, so they produce a strong red, full of flavour, just the way we like it. The whites are made with Manseng grapes, which were new to me, but it produced a nice dry, fruity white. It’s a small vineyard, so they do not have a huge stock, but that might have been my mistake as the owners didn’t speak English, but we got by with our smattering of French.
They have a program of events during the summer months, and they’ll arrange special events for larger groups.
I’d say it’s a must if you’re in the area.