Wine Not? Four Reasons to Try a Barge Cruise

Wine Not? 4 Reasons to Try a Fren蘵 B艴ge Cruise

By Judi Cohen

Do you love French Food and Wine? Me too! While my past trips to France have been focused on Paris, my husband and I recently tried a 6-night luxury hotel barge cruise aboard the European Waterways Anjodi on the medieval Canal du Midi in the South of France. It was the perfect trifecta of food, wine, and the type of off-the-beaten-track travel that I have come to love. Check out these four reasons to see why a barge cruise in the South of France might

be for you.

Fabulous Food and Fine Cheeses

Intimate and Personal Service

The Anjodi is a cozy eight-person barge with a crew of four including a private chef, captain, housekeeper and guide. The barge, guests, and crew felt intimate, and ideal for slow travel away from the crowds along the tree-shaded Canal du Midi.

Guests can even opt to walk along the towpaths or cycle along the canal and meet the slowmoving boat at its next stopping point.

The cabins have multiple openable porthole windows and an ensuite toilet and shower. There are ample indoor and outdoor spaces to lounge, read, drink, share travel stories with the other guests, and just watch the world go by very slowly.

With just seven passengers aboard on our trip, we were provided personal service, with food, and even the itinerary, customized to our tastes. The crew responded to our every need, from our food preferences to specific brands of whiskey. It felt like we were all family from the moment we embarked in Marseillan.

Our resident chef, Mickail, used only the freshest local ingredients, and prepared outstanding four course lunches and dinners. You can expect Mediterranean and French specialities like duck breast, foie gras, beef bourguignon, ratatouille, and escargot paired with white, red and rose wines. Desserts included, poire belle Hélène, chocolate mousse, tarte Tatin, and crème brule. A cheese course was served with every meal that included a selection of regional varieties along with brie and Camembert.

Weather permitting, we ate our meals al fresco on the sun deck, otherwise we ate at a large, elegantly set dining table in the saloon.

One morning we all joined our chef Mickail to go shopping at the local market in Narbonne to select fresh fish, seafood, vegetables and herbs for a seafood feast back onboard.

Regional French Wine and Private Winery Visits

Wines were pre-selected, and paired expertly for each meal by the ship’s hostess, who presented background information on the type of grape and vintage before pouring. Our wine glasses were never empty as the barge meandered along the canal with views of autumncoloured vineyards. This is an excellent trip for wine lovers, and also included a

Languedoc winery tour and tasting at Chateau Pech-Celeyran, owned by the Saint-Exupery family for five generations.

Your Next Adventure?

Off the Beaten Track Villages and Towns

Traveling by luxury barge is very different from a cruise, and is a slower and more picturesque way to experience the day-to-day life of the villages that line the Canal du Midi. Unlike on cruises, where you spent time in open waters, or a car trip, where the landscape whizzes past you, barge-travel is so slow that you feel part of the landscape.

We had many opportunities to hop on and off the boat, and immerse ourselves into the local culture. Historic towns and villages were within a short walk or bike ride from the barge or a comfortable drive in our Mercedes Sprinter. The cruise offered a perfect way to experience the rich history of daily life of old, tiny villages like Carcassone, Minerve, Capestang, Salelle D’Aude and Narbonne. I recently wrote about these villages in a more detailed article for Quirky Cruise.

Barging with a captain and guide who grew up on barges and have worked with European Waterways for many years, meant that we were presented with deep (and local) knowledge about the Languedoc Region.

So, if you love slow experiential travel, fresh food, and excellent wines, this may be just up your alley. In general, I believe that small-ship cruising on lakes, rivers, canals and oceans, may well be the future of upscale travel. I felt privileged and cared for personally during my time aboard Anjodi. These types of luxury barges are typically quite small with under 20 passengers, some with as few as four, making barge cruising suitable for families and group charters. I look forward to sharing my photos and stories as I continue to travel the globe in search of off-the-beaten-path cruise adventures on quirky vessels.

Photos, from left: Sun setting on Barge Anjodi © Judi Cohen; Judi and Lawrence enjoying sunset on Anjodi© Judi Cohen; Dining alfresco on Barge Anjodi © Judi Cohen; Barge Anjodi approaching Beziers © Judi Cohen; Judi enjoying the tree-lined canal © Judi Cohen; Shrimp at Seafood Lunch © Judi Cohen; Fresh Oysters from Marche in Narbonne © Judi Cohen; Pea Soup Served by Chef Mickail © Judi Cohen