Anthony Record and Tim Ford joined forces with Vincent Chansault to form the very concept of Domaine Gayda in 2003. After the winery was built, we had the first vintage in 2004. Although inspired from various business models in South Africa, Domaine Gayda remains firmly planted in the Old World of wines.

Anthony Record and Tim Ford joined forces with Vincent Chansault to form the very concept of Domaine Gayda in 2003. After the winery was built, we had the first vintage in 2004. Although inspired from various business models in South Africa, Domaine Gayda remains firmly planted in the Old World of wines

A little fearless entrepreneurial spirit was needed to get the project where it is today and now as more and more awards and accolades are received we feel our endeavors are vindicated and we have proved that a total quality approach to winemaking can be justified.

Domaine Gayda has grown all its grapes following strict organic principles and is in the process to get all the wines certified AB (Agriculture Biologique) by 2012.

More than just a vineyard and world class winery, Domaine Gayda is a concept of winemaking and vineyard management based on an in-depth understanding of our vines, our natural environment and the winemaking process. As much as possible, on top of the Organic systems we have a strict minimal intervention policy on all that we do - the terroir must express itself and the grapes need to reflect that terroir.

Domaine Gayda is situated South East of Carcassonne in the Languedoc region of South West France. Known traditionally for its large area of vineyards producing volume table wines, things have changed rapidly over the years. The revolution of change is in full swing and Domaine Gayda is in the centre of that revolution. The Languedoc is blessed with so many exciting 'terroirs' diverse in soil types, aspect and climate. This diversity is our opportunity to not only grow grapes of outstanding quality on our own vineyards, but to work with partner growers throughout this beautiful, diverse region of France.

Domaine Gayda and its vineyards all fall under the 'Gayda France' organisation based at our winery and head office in Brugairolles, near Limoux. Here you will find not only the head quarters of the Winery but our top class restaurant, a Wine School run by our partner Vinécole and accommodation available at the Domaine. Our partners come from areas such as La Linvinère, where we also own great vineyards; Opoul in the Roussillon over-looking the sea, Latour de France, Tautavel, Calce and St Martin de Fenoillèdes.

We have a passion for the traditional ‘cépages' grown in the area such as 'Maccabeo', 'Marsanne', ‘Roussanne’ and 'Grenache Blanc' for the whites; 'Carignan', 'Grenache Noir', 'Syrah', 'Mourvèdre' and 'Cinsault' for the reds. All these 'cépages' mature beautifully in this region and this ensures we have really ripe fruit at harvest. We think out of the box and have also produced stunning wines with ‘cépages' unusual for our region such as Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc; we respect tradition while embracing change.

Our fruit quality is at the centre of our winemaking philosophy. We always harvest our grapes at full ripeness and maturity to really ensure the fruit-tannins are smooth and rounded. This allows the wonderful flavours to express themselves fully without being withheld or disguised by green or unripe tannins.

All our grapes are handpicked and field graded before being transported to the winery for a rigorous hand sorting and grading. For vineyards in La Livinière and from our partners’ vineyards, we transport all the grapes in a refrigerated lorry.

All our vineyards and those of our partner growers follow strictly the rules of environmentally responsible vineyard management. A system of total traceability is in place, entrenched in our administration system, so we can follow the history of each 'parcelle' through techniques, yields, harvesting, grading, fermentation and into the barrel for maturation.

We sincerely hope you enjoy our wines. You can also use our site to find a wine distributor in Europe, North America.