A stint as a language-student in the south of France gave Neasa Corish an introduction to the world of wine-making – and her husband – Laurent Miquel. Now, they are running a vineyard
WHEN SR BARNABAS of Muckross Park College, Donnybrook sent Neasa Corish off to the south of France to improve her linguistic skills, little did she know how life-changing that decision would become.
It was the summer of 1995 and after Corish had completed her Leaving Certificate, Sr Barnabas arranged for her to stay at Valras Plage (a seaside town in the Languedoc region) to experience “la vie française”. Life was one big, happy adventure and during that sunny, warm July, Corish not only immersed herself in all things French, but proceeded to fall for a young French man by the name of Laurent Miquel. It was a mutual attraction and the perfect summer romance. They toured around in his Renault 5 discovering their shared interests in nature, wine, food and each other. She learned that he was from a wine-making family based in the St Chinian wine appellation whose roots can be traced back eight generations.
It really was the best of times, but as the vines produced their rich bounty and summer turned to autumn, both had to go their separate ways. Corish headed back to Trinity College in Dublin and Miquel returned to Newcastle, England, where he worked as an engineer with Nissan. November brought them together again to celebrate Corish’s debs in the Shelbourne Hotel. An introduction to Sr Barnabas caused a bit of a stir, but all was well when he got the nod of approval and was asked to sign the visitors’ book.
The realisation dawned that theirs was much more than a summer fling but life had to carry on. Corish continued her studies in Trinity while working part-time in a Dunnes Stores off-licence. Summers saw her in France selling wine at Miquel’s family vineyard wine boutique. This helped improve her French, her wine knowledge and, of course, her love for Miquel.
In 1996, at his father’s request, he moved permanently back to Cazal Vial, the family winery. Passion for winemaking was in his blood, and within a short time he followed his own destiny by continuing his wine studies in Montpellier. Meanwhile, Corish graduated, and for the next two and a half years worked as a management consultant with Andersons in the IFSC. They met as often as time would allow and she often accompanied him on wine-tasting trips around Europe and elsewhere. In 2001 she decided to give up her Dublin life and move to the Languedoc to help launch and develop Miquel’s own range of wines.
For the young couple it was the beginning of a new wine adventure. This golden girl with the golden hair began to work extremely hard for her now fiancé. Convinced that the wines had something spectacular to offer, she knew her task was to get people to taste them. She needed to get people to abandon their blind confidence in classic styles such as Bordeaux and Burgundy. Whenever an occasion presented itself she made sure the wines were available to taste. Every possible function and wine tasting was attended. Cases of wines were hauled and dragged with her wherever she went. Hundreds of bottles were opened as she introduced the wines of this relatively unknown winemaker to anyone who would listen. She knew that once they had tasted the wine, they would become a loyal customer.
Her hard work paid off and she was delighted when Dunnes Stores were the first in Europe to launch Miquel’s Chardonnay, Viognier and Syrah wines. Within a short time, Laurent Miquel wines became hugely respected, winning awards and accolades from around the wine globe.
The couple married in Dublin in May, 2007 and both felt it was time to add to the Cazal Vial family wine tree by establishing a winery in their own right. In November 2008, they visited Domaine les Auzines in the Corbières region, which was for sale. Impressed with the estate, they acquired the property.
Located on a plateau, the domaine is surrounded by vineyards, forests, garrigue scrubland and majestic mountains. An azure sky blends with the landscape, leaving the eye to gaze on gardens laden with olive trees and sprinkled with wild flowers. Dotted between are masses of rosemary, lavender and thyme. Your senses are seduced by the scent of mingling herbs swirling around heady floral perfumes. Your attention is next drawn to the buildings, which complement the natural contours of the land giving a sense of harmony to the timelessness of this special place. The vineyard is situated near the historic village of Lagrasse and its famous abbey, and local monks have an ancient right of passage to walk the vineyard lands. Les Auzines itself has been restored with immaculate taste by its previous owner, which has given the couple freedom to concentrate on the vineyards.
The state-of-the-art working winery is fully equipped to a very high standard and the stone wine cellar is full of new oak barrels, all waiting in line for this young wine dynamo’s attention. Excitement and enthusiasm shine through Miquel’s eyes when he speaks about his vision for the future. His philosophy is that wine quality comes first and foremost from the vineyard and this is where all his energy will go for whatever time it takes.
The estate is comprised of 40 hectares of organic vineyards. Miquel intends replacing at least 20 with new vines. This will take time, a lot of hard, physical work and money but little daunts this man. He qualifies for a new European grant that will be of enormous financial help. Ask him what his vine-growing intentions are and he simply winks. He has plans, lots of them, but for the moment he is giving nothing away. He brings all the passion, experience and technical knowledge of wine-making to the work and his wife brings flair and logistical know-how of the marketing and administration side of the business. They are very aware of the huge task they have undertaken in these uncertain times and know there will be many sleepless nights ahead. What drives them on is an unquestionable faith in the quality of Languedoc wine and a confidence to assert their own talents and individual wine mastery.
Domaine Les Auzines, Lagrasse is located about 40 minutes from Carcassonne airport. Worth visiting nearby is the historic village of Lagrasse and Fonfroide Abbey. See www.lesauzines.com.
Jacinta Delahaye holds the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma and has been working in the wine trade for many vintages.