The grape harvest is in full swing with the workers getting to the vineyards at the crack of dawn and going until nightfall. The streets are sticky with juice and the hot dry weather continues. Hopefully it will be a good year for the wine.

Olonzac Retirees Luncheon

The Olonzac Retirees Luncheon

Almonds Frame the View to Cesseras

The beautiful weather continues in the Minervois. The 6th of February and still no winter. 15C today. The day had to be enjoyed with a short walk to the top of a hill just outside Olonzac. Cesseras, with the hamlet of Fauzan above it, has a rambling ancient Chateau at it's heart divided up long ago with bits now abandoned and parts inhabited. It's actually quite hard to find by walking in the village because of the narrowness of the streets. Off to the left is the square Romanesque church tower.
There is a small cafe in the village named the Petit Causse that has local musicians on Saturday nights and serves very good food. I think they may be closed Monday through Wednesday in the winter. It's worth a visit. They serve organic wine.
Not just the almonds but many other things are blooming like Irises, Mimosa trees and others all over the valley and the honey bees are busy.

It is the warmest winter I have ever experienced in the Minervois valley. The days are short but sunny and there is much less wind than normal. Global warming? Who knows?
Being able to sit on the terrace of a local cafe on just about any afternoon is pretty good. I hope my saying this doesn't jinx the deal. The trees are budding and the almonds are beginning to blossom. I saw some lovely roses in someones garden yesterday. The forecast high for tomorrow is 18C in glorious sunshine.

Fall in the Minervois valley

It is currently over 20C in the Minervois but fall has arrived with all it's colours. The days are lovely and warm but the night's are cool.
Tomorrow is Halloween which over the last decade has seen children taking up the North American model of collecting candy door to door while dressed in costumes. I've looked high and low but can't find a Donald Trump mask so treats may be limited this year.

A Story About Stones.

We purchased 4 pieces of land around the village of La Liviniere last year. All have magnificent views over the Minervois valley and collapsed structures and crumbling ancient walls on them.
La Liviniere is known for it's dry stone walls. Whether used to build small shelters from the sun or to divide up parcels of land they are impressive. 

I had a visit from someone asking if I knew where he could get a few stones suitable for raising the height of a short section of his garden wall.
I showed him the stones lying around on one property and said he was welcome to a few.
As he was gathering the few stones  a couple of days later the Gendarmes arrived and he was asked what he thought he was doing. 

Explaining that he knew the owner of the land the Gendarmes were having none of it and told him to put them back. Why? He was told the land had a Roman road on it and was a protected world heritage site. Quite the surprise! The stones are resting there in their original location.
Is this true? Is there a 2000 year old section of Roman road on this land. Sounds like an interesting research project. 
If you would like to buy a plot of land with history attached to it contact me. Along with the views there are lovely trees, an ancient mill stream and several kinds of wild orchids on the land and all a short stroll from the center of the village. How many people do you know that own a bit of the Roman empire?

The harvest is coming to a close. This is the last of the big mechanical harvesters I've seen. There is still some hand picking going on in the higher elevations.
The days are shorter and the mornings are cooler but it's still lovely to have lunch on a sunny terrace.
Years with a five in them are thought to bring in a good crop and this certainly appears to be the case this year. Sweet grapes full of flavor should make fine wine.