Got a nose for wine - and food and culture? Then how about a nose for Bergerac?

Fine food and wine – that most sophisticated of passions – is what many visitors come to Bergerac for. So it’s a bit of a surprise to find the airport is about as far removed from that lovely word – sophistication – as is possible. A fellow passenger on the Ryanair flight had told me that it was “little more than a cow shed”.

Indeed, it was, though the departure facilities are somewhat better. But it did mean that we were in and out of arrivals in a matter of minutes. All the better to make the most of our visit to what is known as the gateway to the Perigord, in south west France.

Our visit was full of such surprises and contrasts. The weather for one; though it was bright and crisp a very chill wind blew. Apparently, the week before everyone had been wandering around in tee shirts.

Another contradiction in terms was at our first restaurant. We dined to perfection at L’Imparfait (The Imperfect), at the heart of Bergerac’s atmospheric old town, with its lovingly restored medieval buildings. Foie gras, something else for which this area is renowned, was most definitely on the menu in a variety of dishes, but not mine.

The solicitous Maitre d’Hotel, Alain Mesclop, suggested the Coquilles St Jacques (scallops) and sole meuniere, finished off with the very sweet Monbazillac dessert wine from the spectacular chateau overlooking the town. Delectable! My watercress soup was an even more delightful surprise - because I didn’t think I liked watercress.

1001 chateaux

One of the great joys of visiting out of the main summer season was experiencing the tranquillity of streets which are, at other times, lined with pavement cafes, and the area around the old port, on the banks of the Dordogne, which otherwise teems with visitors.

In fact, the country roads and villages were so deserted that our guide, Marie-Cecile, from the Bergerac Tourist Office, had appeared to lose her way trying to find Chateau K, near Saussignac. We had to stop at the Tresor Public in a tiny village, the only place with any sign of life, to get directions. However, when the otherwise super-efficient Marie-Cecile explained that there are, in fact, 1001 chateaux in the Dordogne region, she was indeed excused.

Chateau K is another ‘surprise’ for it is here that we met Katharina Mowinckel, a petite young blonde woman from Bergen, who single-handedly runs six hectares of vineyard, producing 22,000 bottles a year. Here is a top horse woman who came to Paris to pursue her dreams, realised that she wasn’t going to get as far as she hoped and retreated to her parents’ holiday home in Bergerac to think about the future. Once there, she is asked by a neighbour to exercise his horses. The neighbour happens to have a vineyard, and teaches her the fundamentals of wine production.

Now Miss M’s claim to fame is as the only Norwegian woman in the world running a vineyard. It’s an award-winning one at that, too.

Chateau K is just one of the 140 estates along the Route des Vins of Bergerac country where visitors can meet the men and woman who are, like Miss M, so passionate about their wines, as well as to taste and to buy.

The Office de Tourisme in Bergerac offers a popular range of short themed breaks, many of them based around gastronomy and wine-tasting. You can even have breaks where you get a shopping list from a chef for the local market, then learn to cook and enjoy what you have bought.

Best dessert ever

At the Auberge Lou Peyrol, at St Marcel du Perigord, 12 miles from Bergerac, chef/owner Philippe Wavrin tantalised us with a demonstration of what we were about to receive. Canelloni stuffed with flavoursome mushrooms and the most tender of veal, followed by what I fervently believe is the best dessert I have ever had in my life. And, let me say here, I am big on desserts.

The whole table fell silent as first one spoon, then another, dipped into the soft, gooey heart of the chocolate moelleux and there was an all-encompassing mmmmmmm. If I said this was accompanied by a dark chocolate glace and a caramel Chantilly on the side then you will understand the need for reverence.

Then there was the gorgeous walnut oil served with our cheese which had been pressed by an 80-something neighbour from whom Philippe buys 75 per cent of his production.

That night we enjoyed yet another gastronomic treat at La Tour Des Vents, near the Chateau de Monbazillac. This time we had a sparkling neon-lit vista over the valley towards Bergerac.

Renowned chef de cuisine Marie Rougier cooked us up a storm, starting with the most wonderful appetisers of smoked salmon and crepe, which I could quite happily have dined on alone.

Looking around the restaurant, I couldn’t help noticing that all the other women were, without exception, slender and elegant.  I just had to know their secret.

“A French woman only ever has one glass of wine at a meal” confided Chloe, another of our guides. “And we eat vegetables as a starter, not as an accompaniment, so that we are satisfied with a smaller main course”.

I wonder how much those wise words are worth?

‘Entertainment’

We hadn’t just come to Bergerac to indulge our palates. Though many people use Bergerac as a starting point for a tour of the region, the town itself has some fascinating museums, including La Musee d’Interet National du Tabac, the only tobacco museum in Europe. Set in the aptly named Place du Feu, it traces 3000 years of history.

Then there is Saint James’ Church, built on the site of a chapel on the pilgrimage route to Compostella and the Musée du Vin et de la Batellerie à Bergerac, which shows the two most important industries of the town, wine and boat making.

Perhaps the most helpful museum for me was the Maison des Vins, as I know so little about wine, except that I enjoy drinking it. The House of Wines is in the charming Recollets cloister in the old town. Down in the vaults there’s a film show about the complexities of wine production and – best of all – a wine bar where visitors can become ‘acquainted’ with the local vine growers’ products.

Throughout the year the cool cloisters are also the setting for musical events and other entertainment.

However, for some visitors, or it could be locals - no one really knows – a quite different ‘entertainment’ in Bergerac seems to be that of knocking off Cyrano’s nose. Let me explain.

Though there is absolutely no historical link to Cyrano de Bergerac, the poet, musketeer and philosopher, from near Paris, renowned for his unfortunately large nose, there are two statues of him in the old town.

According to our guide Chloe, the statues exist simply because “tourists expect it”.

One of the Cyrano statues is smart, shiny and in a prominent position: the other plain and rather scruffy and with only a bit of his concrete nose, depending on when you go and see ‘him’.

It seems that it’s a regular Saturday night ritual in Bergerac to knock off Cyrano’s nose. Indeed, the town hall keeps a stock of noses to replace the ones that get snapped off by those who Chloe said “want to annoy the townspeople”.

Now, who ever would want to do that in such a charming place as Bergerac?

FACT FILE

HOW TO GET THERE

We flew courtesy of Ryanair, which has flights to Bergerac from East Midlands, London Stansted and Liverpool.  www.ryanair.com

WHERE TO STAY

Visit www.bergerac-tourisme.com for accommodation as well as sightseeing and other tourist information.

WHAT ELSE TO SEE

*Chateau de Monbazillac, with its blend of medieval defensive fortifications and Renaissance exuberance.Wine tastings. www.chateau-monbazillac.com

*Various markets including covered market just off Grand Rue, a monthly Sunday morning antique market in the Place Pelissiere and markets on Wednesday and Saturday mornings beside the church of Notre-Dame.

*Down the centuries Bergerac has been subjected to numerous floods, the last in the 1950s. You can see the flood levels near the old port, at Rue Salvette, from where it is also possible to take boat trips.

WHERE TO EAT

*Auberge Lou Peyrol, at St Marcel du Perigord. Set menu at 26€, children’s menu 8.50€.  B&B is currently being developed. (+33 (0)553 240971).

*La Tour Des Vents, near the Chateau de Monbazillac. Menu 22-56€. www.tourdesvents.com

*Restaurant L’Imparfait - lunch menus from 19-36€ ; dinner menus 36-49€. www.imparfait.com.

*Prices were correct at the time of writing.