Every month, we introduce you to an interesting woman living in Languedoc. Curious as we are, we like to find out why she lives in this beautiful region, what she does for a living, and some of her Languedoc favourites. This month, we would like you to meet the winemaking artist- or artistic winemaker- Valerie Castan. Together with her brother, she runs Domaine Castan in Cazouls-les-Béziers. But she’s also a talented freelance illustrator with a passion for aquarelle.
Introduction
I’m a true Biterroise, born in Béziers (1) and raised in nearby Cazouls-les-Béziers (2), where my parents ran the wine estate Domaine Castan, now run by my brother and me. From a young age, my mother told me I was very independent. So, after finishing college, I had a strong desire to discover the world on my own and left to be an au pair in England. Coming back from England, I studied International Business in Montpellier. But as soon as I graduated, I decided to spread my wings again and continued my Business studies in Manchester, England.
Settling in Languedoc
After having lived in Manchester for ten years, I was ready to slow down and return to my roots. My grandfather was a winemaker for a cooperative, and in 1993 my father bought an estate to become an independent winemaker. For most of my years abroad, I wasn’t really interested in wine. But coming back to France awakened my interest in my parents’ profession. Even before, as early as 2009, I followed a tasting training. And the more I learned, the more it became a passion. As it wasn’t something my parents imposed on me, it was something that came naturally to me.
Domaine Castan
Since 2011, I’ve worked on my family’s wine estate, Domaine Castan (3). In 2016, my brother Guilhem joined me, and we took over the estate from our parents. Guilhem takes care of the winemaking process, whereas I developed the professional business-to-business part, together with the marketing, online development and social media. Working at the Domaine allows me to combine all of my passions: wine, art, and travel. Wine obviously is what we are making. Art got involved as I design our labels, flyers, posters, and more. And attending wine fairs, both national and international, allows me to travel.
As part of our marketing strategy, I also develop the wine tourism component for our estate. In addition to tastings, you can visit our museum, created by my father, which visually explains the complete process of winemaking from A to Z. Keep an eye on our socials to find out about our tastings, special events, and, in June and July, our cabaret evenings.
Francunian Art
Since childhood, I have had my creative side along with my sense of independence and the desire to travel. From an early age, I drew, and I took classes at the age of seven. But as my parents told me art isn’t a profession, I combined my business studies with travelling. However, the heart wants what it wants, so besides being a student in Manchester, I also had a job studying the visitor market of cultural institutions. This meant I could go to museums all across the country to interview visitors while visiting the most extraordinary exhibits. It awakened my artistic side, and I decided to do a master’s in Heritage studies. It included two internships abroad, six months in Italy and six months in Berlin. Berlin especially, being hyper-cultural, changed my life artistically. I absolutely loved it and visited all the museums there were to see in only four days.
Back in Manchester, I continued visiting museums and exhibitions and culture became my addiction. My English friends started to call me ‘The Francunian’, a contraction of France and Mancunian, as the inhabitants of Manchester are called. I even started a blog about my cultural finds, aptly named after my English nickname.
So, art and creativity slumbered under the surface for years until I received a simple watercolour palette that I could take on the go. When I met illustrator Sophie from Miala Illustrations, I signed up for a discovery course. And from there, it completely took off. It was like Pandora’s box opened up to me and I fell down the rabbit hole. Since then, I haven’t stopped painting and creating, and now I’m officially registered as an artist. My artist’s name is Francunian Art (4), which can’t come as a surprise. You will find my artwork in my Etsy shop and there’s more information on my website; see the link below.
Living in the South of France
Because I’ve been away for quite some time, I appreciate what we have here more. We actually live in a place where people go on holiday, with both the sea and the mountains close by. Beautiful nature surrounds us, which we also cherish in our vineyards, where we produce many organic wines. Also, the quality of food is high, and we have access to the best vegetables.
Best Languedoc wine
There are so many great wines around that making a top three is difficult. But if I must make a selection, it would include the red wine Cayenne from my friends at Domaine de la Bosque at Cessenon-sur-Orb. It’s made from 70% grenache and 30% Carignan, harvested from vines that grow on schist terroir. Also, I can’t resist the Clos Trinité red wine from Domaine Moulin de Lène in Magalas. This organic wine comes from grapes harvested by night to keep their freshness. Of course, I have to mention one of our own wines. An all-time favourite is Lou Crès from the Saint-Chinian appellation. I love its fresh, elegant, and mineral aspect.
Favourite restaurant
I like to go out for lunch and dinner and test out new places. However, I’ll keep coming back to these three favourites:
Pica Pica (5) is a modern tapas-style restaurant in the heart of Béziers and is great for sharing food with friends. A bit further away, near Béziers’ library, is Ô Petits Bontemps, run by the welcoming Olivier and Emmanuelle Bontemps. They are only open for lunch, except for Friday when they also open during dinner. I’m not the only one who likes it, so you’d better make a reservation before going. The last restaurant in my top three is the odd one out. I like going to the organic shop L’O Bio in Béziers, and they happen to run a lovely restaurant. It’s organic, fresh, value for money, and changes regularly. It’s simply always good and I go here a lot!
Perfect day out in Languedoc
I’d start my perfect day out with a coffee and croissant on the main square of Pézenas on a Saturday. It’s the town’s weekly market day and has a great vibe. Afterwards, I would go to the beach for a walk. Lunch would be at Chez Lanchois in Sète, another one of my favourites actually, followed by a leasurely stroll through the streets of this ‘Île Singulière’- the singular island. To finish the day, I will have some cocktails in Montpellier with friends and maybe attend a little techno festival at the Halle Tropisme.
