la maison du rire

We are a couple new to the world of wine tasting and were given a weekend with Emma as an engagement present. What could have been intimidating because of our total lack of knowledge was in fact a fabulous revelation! Emma's knowledge of wine and the area is encylopedic and she is great fun to be around. With Emma we learnt so much and had a really fantastic time. I highly recommend La Maison du Rire to anyone, experienced in wine tasting or not. If you enjoy wine, food,sunshine and an on-hand source of facinating facts then this is definitely for you! Thank you Emma!

I liked the first wine and food trip so much I went on another! Having explored some of the Western Languedoc-Rousillion with Emma in April, I went back to the South Eastern area this September. Emma teaches about the wine and food of the region as only one who loves and understands it can. The quality of the food, wine and teaching are wonderful, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Great value for money! I will return to learn more!

Our group enjoyed Emmas excellent wine knowledge, tapas and wines of the region in June. Emma came to our Villa and we had just a great time tasting wines and tapas. Easily the best tasting I have ever been, about 10 previously. Emmas knowledge about local wines was excellent and her stories just great fun. I can easily recommend Emmas tasting for anyone who is interested in wines.

Emma came to the group of villas where we were staying to give us and other couples a tour of the food and wine of the Languedoc-Roussillon. It was a fantastically informative, but relaxed and enjoyable evening. We all learnt so much while also enjoying fabulous food and wine. Emma's enthusiasm was infectious. Thank you Emma! We fully recommend this if you are on holiday in the reigon.

this was our third wine tasting event run by Emma and as expected was stimulating, surprising and educational. I can honestly say that she has changed our wine buying and drinking habits over the years that we have revisited her tastings.This year we were a slightly rowdy group of 8 and she ably and confidently was able to impart huge amounts of information in an accessible and entertaining way. it's fair to say we all fully enjoyed every wine we were presented with but yet again came back with detailed useful tasting notes and some excellent ideas for wines for the coming year. Do not hesitate to book - you will not regret this amazingly great experience

When we were staying near Carcassonne in May, we arranged for Emma to come to our villa to educate the ten of us about the wines of the region. What a wonderful time we had. Emma set up on an outdoor table and we all gathered ready to absorb her wisdom (and the goodies she brought). For three plus hours we sampled wonderful wines and ate tasty matched tapas that Emma had prepared. Many in our group of ten were knowledgeable about wine but all of us learned a huge amount. Emma herself is so personable and she is clearly a natural teacher, meaning that we were all thoroughly engaged even while learning so much. We ate, drank, asked questions, laughed, and discussed. Such a great evening!

I arranged to have Emma host a wine and food tasting experience for my parents-in-law who have had a home in the area for around 10 years. I was unsure how much of it would be 'new' to them as they have reasonably good knowledge of the region, however I was pleasantly surprised that they were learning facts from the very start to the end. Having the wine paired with the food made it a fantastic event and one which I would recommend to anyone. Not only is Emma an expert of the food and wine but she is also extremely passionate. I hope to be able to repeat the experience in the near future

Emma is a wonderful character who's passion for the art of wine making and delicious food sparkles. During an afternoon that should be recommended as a 'bucket list' must do, we were taught how to taste wine and what food types compliment, were given a fantastic overview of the local region and the different techniques applied. Words don't really do this experience justice as you really need to taste, smell and relax into culture of wine as Emma knowledgably and generously gives you her extensive and intelligent know-how at so many levels.Thank you Emma for a brilliant afternoon and I'm sure your next adventure of the cookery school will be just as amazing.

If you want to know about the wine, food and people of this area - look no further than Maison due Rire... Emma is a delight and the most well informed and well connected wine experts in this area and the best guide you can have! Our small group of 10 had a wonderful 4 days tasting the wines, meeting the wine makers and enjoying the food and countryside of the region. Highly recommended.

Emma Kershaws knowledge of the wines & food of the region is encyclopaedic!She introduced us to wine makers & wines we could not have accessed on our own, taught us about wine making methods & terroirs, paired the wines with appropriate foods & left us sated & happy.Her easy & charming manner adds to the pleasure of the experience whether one wishes to learn more or just relax & enjoy those wines & foods; a truly delightful trip in every way.I want to come back again next year!DM.

Emma organised a wine tasting evening with tapas for us during our stay at a villa in the Languedoc this summer and, based on our experience, we would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for a special evening during their holidays in this lovely part of France . Not only is Emma highly knowledgeable about the wines of Languedoc-Rousillon, she is a skilled cook, a relaxed and patient tutor, and a lovely person. All 12 members of our party (ranging from 13 years old to nearly 60 years old) not only learned a lot, but also had a very enjoyable and memorable evening.

We simply cannot rate Emma highly enough. She came to perform the wine tasting for our family and friends at Chateau de Queille, where we had spent a week for our wedding party. It was the final event of our stay and what a way to wrap things up! Emma went out of her way to prepare a very well considered and fascinating tasting for us, equipping us with a huge amount of information - not only on the wines sampled but the tasting process, the region and the history behind the Langedoc Rousillion wine industry (neatly bringing everything up to the current day to gives us a comprehensive view of how it has evolved over time and the unique and exciting direction some of the more contemporary vineyards are headed in).Her style was beautifully eloquent, yet relaxed and informal and her patience for all of our questions (that mounted as the tasting proceeded!) commendable. Our love for the region was only heightened form the experience and we cannot thank her enough for a wonderful evening!

There is no finer way to discover the wines, foods and culture of Languedoc-Rousillon, than to spend an evening with Emma Kersaw of "La Maison du Rire". Emma's knowledge of wine, engaging style along with her superb local wine and food pairings are pure artistry. This is a one-of-a-kind experience that will enhance your appreciation of this beautiful region of France.

We set up our first experience in the southern part of France to meet with Emma. She is highly trained in the world of wine. Emma came to the farmhouse that we were staying at to set up an evening of wine tasting paired with tapas that she had skillfully prepared. Little did we know how highly professional Emma is in her knowledge of wine, along with having a delightful sense of humor. We all agreed that the information learned from Emma helped us appreciate the area of France. If our travels should someday return us to France, I would definitely contact Emma.

We loved having Emma come to our villa and do wine tasting with tapas! We tasted three whites, a rose and four reds-all from the Languedoc part of France. Emma gave us interesting information about each of the wineries. Her experience with selecting and serving wine both in England and in France was a bonus. The food she prepared and served was spectacular. I was surprised to find wines I didn't care for initially but when they were served with certain foods, they were just right. We learned which vineyards follow biodynamic principals and why. We were happy we did this on our first full day in Languedoc because it was very helpful in selecting wines for the remainder of our stay in France. Emma's knowledge and experience about wine and food pairings impressed all of us.