Enjoy with a capital E at Chateau Grandvoir (Neufchateau)

When the autumn leaves fall and the woods turn a beautiful golden yellow, we increasingly dream of a cosy weekend in the Ardennes. Escape from the daily grind for a while, literally get sucked into nature. We put on our (walking) shoes and ended up in the beautiful Neufchateau at Chateau Grandvoir for a wonderful autumn weekend including a crackling fireplace.

When we drive up the elegant driveway of the Chateau Grandvoir, we have just finished a beautiful one and a half hour drive from Brussels. One has to be prepared to “deconnect“. But that happens instantly when we see the beautiful domain situated in the middle of a splendid park garden. Here, your inner lithium battery is immediately discharged, only to be back in the greenery after a virtuous weekend.

Chateau Grandvoir is a beautifully renovated castle that visually looks more like a large square farmstead. The cheerful hostess Barbara explains enthusiastically that the oldest remains of the castle date from 1642. Today the castle has been beautifully renovated with great attention to its history. It has been transformed into a gem and offers 8 rooms of which 2 family rooms. We came with our family on an autumn weekend and were given one of these beautiful family rooms. No lack of space in this family suite. Nor is there any lack of authentic charm as the authentic beams in the trusses of the roof have been restored in this room. To be honest, the level of finishing could be better here and there, such as in the bathroom where accents are not exactly painted to perfection.

This is however more than compensated by a superior feeling of luxury in the ‘salons’ located at the other end of the building. Settle down in one of the luxurious salons behind a crackling fire and contemplate the autumn beauty outside in all its facets. After we were invited to take an aperitif in the salons, we enthusiastically headed for the restaurant in the castle. The restaurant has room for about 18 people and is very pleasant.

Chateau Grandvoir places great emphasis on the gastronomic character of its offer. The young culinary talent Antoine Rigaux was therefore recruited. Rigaux previously won his spurs at Chateau de Strainchamps (1 Michelin star) and more recently at Maxime Collard of the renowned La Table de Maxime (also 1 Michelin star). Today, he is responsible for the gastronomic satisfaction of the castle’s guests. Cooking is mainly seasonal and it is recommended to choose one of the menus that vary in price between 40 and 65 euros (3 to 6 courses).

What immediately pleasantly surprised us was the accessible wine list. Here you can easily go for a real top wine from the Bordeaux- or Bourgogne region with prices varying between 35 and 60 euro per bottle. With the autumn menu and the game that awaited us, a beautiful Saint-Estèphe can charm us. We accept it while the chef gets going after the first amuses with a delicious dish of quails. This overture suggests the best for the rest. However, the signature dish that followed (smoked trout with herb coulis) we found a temporary dip. But then the chef took over the reins and was able to bring brilliance back into our eyes with a super tasty venison and its wintery garnishes. We ended our meal with a home-made (three cheers for that) sabayon made from home-brewed local beer Veraison. Wonderful.

With a broad smile on our faces, we left the castle in the autumn glow. Sure we’ll be back when that inner lithium battery goes red again. Au revoir et à la prochaine!