Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
there was also fulfilment that you could not put a price on. Not only that, we were living
our philosophy, contributing to what we believed in through our organic practices.
I prepared to depart for a sales and marketing trip that was long overdue and we received
news that our merlot that had put us in the
merde
had won a medal in the Concours de
Bordeaux, the Bordeaux wine competition. It was perfectly timed. A few days before, an
unexpectedarticlehadappearedinamajornewspaper:thewriter,SandraMooney,declared
Château Haut Garrigue La Source to be her favourite red wine saying, 'It's gorgeous.' I
thought she was gorgeous. These were the red wines that had given me so many sleepless
nights and cost Sean a third of a finger. Now they were winning accolades.
Sean took me to Bordeaux airport. We said goodbye and automatically kissed each other
on either cheek
à la française
. We realised at the same moment what we had done and
cracked up, giggling uncontrollably on the set-down pavement. We were becoming French.
At least I knew his name.
On arrival as I drove through the city, I was filled with memories. Aideen and Barry were
waiting for me with a plate of fresh salmon on the table. The butter I slathered onto the
potatoes was beyond heaven. Everything was calm and ordered. My bed was made and
Aideen had put out slippers for me. A new copy of
Food and Wine
magazine was on the
table with a two-page feature article about us and our wines. It felt good.
Andrew gave me the use of his boardroom in the city centre for the evening wine classes
I offered to our direct customers. Before my first session I made a dash into a specialist
cheese shop to buy Cashel Blue, a delectable Irish blue cheese that would be matched with
our Saussignac dessert wine as the finale to the class. Like the butter I had had the night be-
fore it melted on the tongue and left a long memory. My appreciation of all food had been
transformed in the years at Garrigue.
A radio crew arrived to tape part of the class. I had a full house with chairs packed around
the edges of the room. Everyone was in great spirits and the class was super-interactive.
The years of knowledge from Garrigue poured out of me. Our organic ethos and my love
of wine combined to form a powerful message. It was so much more than work. At the end
of the class, Dorothy, the radio journalist, pulled me aside.
'You were great, Caro, great!'
'Thanks, Dorothy. It's easy to talk about something you love.'
'You should have your own TV show.'
