Meet The Outsiders in Edinburgh 27 May 2019

Whilst this tasting is purely for the trade, fear not wine lovers; we're confident that following The Outsiders' foray into Edinburgh later this month we'll be seeing a great deal more of these wines and characters in Scotland. The Outsiders is a group of creative, forward-thinking wine growers in Languedoc-Roussillon.  Creating exciting wines here in the south of France, these exciting characters come from the UK, Jersey, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, the USA as well as other parts of France and have an equally long list of previous careers. What they share is a conscious decision to relocate to this part of France to make wine, recognising the potential of Languedoc-Roussillon's terroir. Coming from “outside” means having an alternative perspective, which is exactly what this group has.  Here you can meet some of these refreshing and interesting characters.

Dominique Génot - Mas Llossanes

After working with Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace, Dominique spent 10 years with Super Tuscan winery Caiarossa as oenologist and vineyard director. In 2016 he and his wife Solenn (a trained sommelier) chose to create their own domaine in south of France. Located in the Pyrenees, Mas Llossanes' lofty vines are planted on shale and granite soils at 600 metres; their organic, biodynamic wines are made from Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Chenanson, Cinsault and the lesser known Chasan.

Pascale Rivière - La Jasse Castel

Teacher, writer, journalist and winemaker Pascale turned to wine in 1998 and runs La Jasse Castel which is a 12-hectare organic estate in AOC Languedoc-Montpeyroux and Terrasses du Larzac. Her low-yielding vines (15-25 hl/ha) are harvested manually, producing rich, concentrated yet elegant wines.    

Caryl Panman - Château Rives-Blanques

Saying goodbye to the corporate world and journalism 20 years ago, Anglo-Dutch Caryl and her husband Jan settled down at their estate Château Rives-Blanques. Here their life is all about managing, caretaking and living their vineyard in Cépie in the foothills of the Pyranees. Their son Jan-Ailbe (a linguist and ex-teacher) is now the winemaker and vineyard manager.  

Graham Nutter - Château St Jacques d'Albas

Born in Berlin, educated in England, Graham Nutter was a financial advisor in his previous life. In 2001 he chose a working retirement in wine, moving to the Minervois where he owns Château St Jacques d'Albas: “the work is more physical, and the monetary rewards considerably more modest, but you're your own boss and you sink or swim, according to your own efforts” Graham happily reports.  

Tom Hills - Domaine La Lauzeta

Born in Essex, Tom grew up surrounded by orchards, livestock and arable farms.  His wine-appreciating father introduced him at an early age to the delights of white Burgundy and aged Chenin from the Coteaux du Layon. Fast forward a few years and with his background in languages, Tom’s first job was at the St. Petersburg State University in Russia. From there he moved into banking, then commodities as a sugar trader and coffee planter. Passionate about wine Tom turned to winemaking and now makes fabulous small cuvées of terroir-driven wines at Domaine La Lauzeta, establishing the organic estate in 2015 on the schist hillsides of AOP Saint Chinian.

Lidewij van Wilgen - Terre des Dames

Aged 30, Lidewij van Wilgen had a high powered career working at Saatchi & Saatchi in Amsterdam, running the strategy department. Choosing a radical career change she and her husband at the time travelled to France looking for the perfect property. Opting to buy a farmhouse and vineyards in a small valley in the south of France they moved there in in 2002. Today, Lidewij runs Terre des Dames with a small team, making award-winning organic wines from a 14-hectare vineyard divided into 25 small plots dotted around Murviel-lès-Béziers.  

This is just a taster of those who will be coming to Edinburgh on Monday 27 May.  To reserve your place and find out more please register herePlease note you must be in the trade to attend.