Prepare to enjoy a gourmet day out on your Seafood and Wine of the Languedoc from Montpellier tour. There is no hotel pick-up for this excursion. You should make your way to the Montpellier Tourist Office where you will be picked up in an air-conditioned mini-bus by your bilingual (English and French) driver cum guide.
After a drive of around 45 minutes, you will arrive at the banks of the Thau Lagoon, an inland salt lake linking the Canal du Midi to the Rhône-Sète Canal.
You will learn the fascinating history of the lagoon before visiting a seafood producer to find out how mussels and oysters are farmed in this beautiful area. The 1 hour 15 minute visit ends with a tasting of some of the finest seafood you'll ever experience, all washed down with some local white wine.
You then take a 15 minute drive to one of the best wineries in the area to sample the crisp, local white wine – Picpoul de Pinet – as well as some great rosés and reds. In total you can taste five wines at this winery.
After about 1 hour at the winery, you will head back to the lagoon, where you will have lunch right on the water, overlooking the oyster beds, in a great local restaurant.
You will enjoy a generous local seafood platter, washed down with the local white Picpoul wine followed by cheese or dessert and coffee. For those who do not eat seafood, a fish, meat (or vegetarian) option is available with prior notice.
Lunch will take around 1 hour 30 minutes, and afterwards you have the chance to discover some of the Languedoc's best red wines. You will enjoy extensive tastings at two wineries, accompanied by local delicacies, and your welcoming hosts will tell you about the wines they make.
You will first travel to a vineyard in the Coteaux du Languedoc where you will spend about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Afterwards, you go on to a vineyard in Pic St. Loup, in the Mediterranean hinterland, set among hillsides covered with wild rosemary, lavender and thyme. This is one of the most up-and-coming wine producing areas in the south of France.
You will spend around an hour at a vineyard in Pic St. Loup before starting your return journey.
At the end of your tour, you will be dropped off at the Montpellier tourist office.