The Domaine Treloar (Vignerons Independants) winery sits deep at the heart of Southern France’s inspiring wine region, Languedoc–Roussillon, in the town of Trouillas,close to our Céret Hotel base. Our taste buds (6 ladies from Oslo based wine club) were tingling in readiness to preview their famous rose, amongst other plentiful flavours the organic soil delights in.  A tour of the 10-hectare estate began with Jonathan weaving us through the vineyard, explaining the peculiarities of the region and its unique micro climate. Jonathan Hesford and Rachel Treloar strive to keep the wine as natural as possible, to honour the Mediterranean soil that for centuries has produced its vintage grapes.  After learning a thing or two about pruning techniques in the field we returned to the winery for a guided tour. Afterwards, we retired to have lunch at the winery and tasted the wines with their delectable counterparts. The rose is best sipped with salami, the Muscat with a young goats cheese, complimenting its fruity elderflower flavours: the perfect combinations for a relaxing afternoon in the sun.

Rachel, who cooks delicious meals to compliment the hand crafted wines, served us Les Boules de Picolat or, meatballs in sauce and had the recipe ready for us to attempt ourselves. Apparently the dish is great for an informal evening with friends, and reflects the high Spanish population of the region, combining the best from Catalonia. Here’s the no longer secret recipe to serve ‘four hungry persons’: 

The Meatball: 

• 400g Minced Beef
• 300g Pork Mince
• 1 Egg
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 120g Fresh Breadcrumbs
• Olive Oil
• Plain Flour

First mix the pork and beef with two crushed cloves of garlic, the breadcrumbs and egg. Form into medium sized balls and coat in flour. Drizzle the olive oil into a large heavy-bottomed frying pan and brown the meatballs all over.
 
The Sauce: 

• One Medium Onion (Finely Chopped)
• 80g Diced Bacon or Bayonne Ham (Optional)
• Two Ripe Tomatoes, Chopped
• 500g Tomato Passata
• 150g Pitted Green Olives
• 100g Sliced Mushrooms
• 5g Sea Salt
• Pinch of Freshly Milled Black Pepper
• 10g Dried Ceps (Porcini Mushrooms – Optional)

In a separate pan, fry the diced bacon with the chopped onion in a little olive oil until the onions are golden brown. Add the meatballs, olives, passata, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, dried ceps and black pepper with a little water if necessary (to ensure the sauce just covers the meatballs). Add some wine and pour yourself a glass, cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with roasted peppers or steamed beans and a large crusty loaf. The perfect wine accompaniment is a Côtes de Roussillon, with its deep ruby colour and intense spice from ageing in oak.

Is your mouth watering yet?

For fine wines, an excellent value for money wine matching lunch and an a very informative winery visit with Jonathan we highly recommend Domaine Treloar if you are planning a grape escape in the Languedoc–Roussillon wine producing region in the South of France.