Of wines by Minervois
THEY ARE NOT GREEKS, THEY ARE CATHARS
Though France , with its liberté, its égalité and its fraternité by slogan, seem like a homogeneous mass of people, when you dive into its ethnographic anatomy you find regions that still feel those roots that eclipsed authoritarian centralism. Breton pride or Occitan sparks are some of the most scandalous.
In the case of Minervois, it falls within the latter, with a considerable cathar sentiment dressing. All this historical 'saudade' rebels when stepping on its capital. Minerve has a name reminiscent of the famous Greek goddess, but no corner of all this adorable set of stones can have so much as a Hellenic sigh . Hence, its etymological origin has been sought in another invading town, the most valid theory being that it comes from the Celtic, since originally the city was called Menèrba, which would translate as ' in the stone ’.
Minervois, an appetizing and photogenic destination
All this introduction makes sense and gives way to the epic when verifying, in situ, that this France has little to do with the Rococo and the palaces. It is a city that has fallen into disrepair, destroyed by time and the difficult communications it has inherited from its warrior past. What used to serve as a defense, today is rather an insurmountable natural barrier . The positive point is that the impression it leaves is hypnotic, with a very thin bridge that gives access to another century.
Inside, it seems that everything froze after the bloody crusade against the Cathars. The walls and towers and fortified gates are still standing, while the castle is imagined thanks to the odd surviving wall . The vestiges of its Cathar past are vindicated with a museum dedicated to the persecution of this belief, with a 'Dove of Light' sculpted in the church square and even a replica of a catapult from the time. However, so much belligerence does not quicken the pulse, but rather guides through narrow streets and anecdotes. On the outskirts, any viewpoint is perfect to better understand the reason for this isolation that it now exerts its magnetism on tourists and visitors.
Cathar land
THE JOYFUL SHADOW OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN
All these religious and cultural peculiarities have a geographical explanation. Minervois sits on the southern slopes of the black mountain , a massif with a 'Tolkienian' name that sets the northern border of the Massif Central. Its small summits and its characteristic color (although sometimes the eye is somatized by the name) are the stars of every sunset and panoramic view, while its particular and schizophrenic orography leaves gifts for the visitor. The own curves that the river Cesse draws on the outskirts of Minerve they are a good appetizer for the caves, castles and idyllic villages that rest in the mantle of this mountain massif.
The narrow walkways that tame so much undulation lead to essential stops such as the castles of Lastours , Cathar ruins of fortresses that defended their domains from northern invaders. Although they are not the most amazing bastion in all of France, they do have a peculiar beauty as they are balancing on the crest of the mountain and al terne a somewhat romantic decadence.
The castles of Lastours, like medieval motes on the hillside
The other great attractions built by man are its cute little towns . Any of them is worth a visit and even more so when the weekly market is announced, although several of them are a destination in themselves. aigne not only does it have those arguments of stone and sinuosity that intoxicate any visitor, but, on top of that, it has a curious snail shape , with a road that is closing in a spiral and that, the more it closes, the older its appearance of orange twists and turns and scenes of a more leisurely and stagnant parallel daily life. Beaufort , on the other hand, is a conquered hill, with its corresponding castle and its visual heritage . Lastly, Felines Minervois adds its windmills and small palatial castles to the region's inventory of icons.
aigne
BETWEEN THE 'CRU' AND THE RECOGNITION
However, all these peculiarities in the end are one more addition to the new great argument to get lost in these latitudes. The wine has been sublimated and has returned in order to revitalize all these places, to fill everything with vines but also with a future, wine tourism and interesting wineries . The most curious thing about the MInervois is that, its non-existent fame, makes many overlook that in its delimitation there is a 'Cru' or, what is the same, a land for the cultivation of the wine of Champions League . In other words, here there is osier, there is a curious and varied geology that allows you to try many varieties, a solution to the need to stand up to other more renowned wine regions.
Between the plain that preludes the MIDI Channel and the hills that precede the Black Mountain grow strains of local varieties such as Grenache, Monastrell, Cariñena or Muscatel, while Syrah appears giving glamor to the wines. These patchwork plots that share boundaries with the cereals and the forest are the great attraction of wineries like Domaine la Prade Mari , where they show you their commitment to an ecological fertilizer as a differentiating element. or of More Paumarhel , a visit that is based, above all, on a safari along paths that lead to small payments. But Minervois also boasts photogenic wineries like the charming Chateau de Gourgazaud o ** Domaine L'Ostal Caizes **, two old headquarters open to the public in the town of La Liviniere.
Vineyards of Domaine L'Ostal Caizes
A CURIOSITY WITH A TAIL
Between vineyards, villages and castles , the road also brings its own oddities. Lauriole's curiosity is a surprising phenomenon that happens while crowning a charming hill watered with horses . The habit of going up all the time and some gutters with some cheat mounds They make the driver believe that, at this point, the slope is still ascending, when in reality it has the opposite orientation. Yes, It is not a work of art or a charming town , but this little paranoia behind the wheel makes many curious people line up to check , with the parking brake released, if what is said and announced on the posters is true.
Lauriole or the perfection of the countryside
LEMONADE WITH LOVE
An old lemonade factory plays a key role in this unburdened tourist maturation process. Under the roof of this construction in Olonzac, jean mac Y Stephen they opened a few years ago the Villa Limonade, a Chambre d'Hôtes (wonderful concept not worth translating) where everything is thought out and cared for with love . In addition to being that house in the countryside that we have all dreamed of at some point, this accommodation is also a perfect letter of introduction to the entire oenological offer of the region, since its owners met while studying oenology in Montpellier . In its five rooms, in addition to the wine, the desire of its owners to do things in a wayward manner is demonstrated, giving each experience a differentiating touch. In the end, an attention that makes this Villa a home that is rented by the hour even without corrupting.
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lemonade with love