Tag Archives: Languedoc

Languedoc Vine Report #16 July 17th

water tower by vines
our decorated water tower overlooking the vines

The vines shimmer under heat haze. It is HOT.

Above our famous water tower the sky is deepest blue.

From time to time, there are distant rumbles of thunder in the mountains behind us. Sometimes we can watch thunderheads building fifty miles away. We’re glad we’re on the edge of the storm. We won’t catch the worst of it. In the vineyards, though, vines will benefit from fresh rainwater running in rivers and streams and through the gulleys into the plains.

Now is the season of celebration in all our towns and villages. Our local co-operative Vigneron held a wine tasting evening as part of summer festivities. Himself and I discovered new wines from our local producers and also from further afield.

tasting fruit of the vine
tasting the fruit of the vine with a neighbour

Here I am with TWO empty glasses. For shame!

It was a pleasant evening in the shade, sampling Languedoc’s most famous export. Our mayor always attends village events. Here is chatting with growers from Magalas.

vine growers
the Mayor enjoying sampling

Their Domaine Moulin de Lène will feature in a future Vine Report. In the meantime, here’s a link to their website. Francine speaks good English and is happy to explain their wine growing methods where they keep to a minimum chemical intervention..

However, more of that in their dedicated Languedoc Vine Report later after our visit and tasting of a full range of their products.

Other musical celebrations are held regularly through July. Five nights of fireworks culminate in the big celebration of July 14th. Thereafter, it’s time for Fiesta. Many of our villages have bull-running through the streets. The Feria is a hectic three-day celebration.

So, it made for a pleasant evening when himself and I took a table at a restaurant on the banks of the river Hérault and watched night fall with a bottle of local Rosé. Magic!

Agde
night falls over Agde
wine choosing
what shall I have?

 

 

Summer at the market. More sexy French food.

You can tell summer’s here. The aisles in the markets are full of summer visitors and lots of them are children, eating pastries in their push chairs or tagging along at the side wearing that out of school for the next two months face.

At Clermont l’Hérault, the Wednesday market features in one of Mick Alec Idlelife’s stories. He’s currently working on reformatting a collection of stories with unusual endings for ebook publishing.  There’ll be more news about him soon.

In the meantime, here’s what we saw (pun intended) today at the market.

It looks like an ordinary saw. It’s amazing the notes he can saw from it and the sounds carry so far . . .

We filled our bags with fresh fruit and vegetables. All the seats on the pavement café behind the stall were taken.

summer fruits
Irresistible!

Himself went next door and helped himself at the sausage man’s stall. The sausage man knows us now. When he sees himself coming, he gets out a big bag. The aromas, the colours and the sounds of a French market are always a delight.

And would you believe it? We found a new bar, or at least a recently refurbished one. Neither of us had noticed it before, but today, large and welcoming, a fifties style retro diner with a terrace overlooking the market canopies. So, of course, it had to be done, didn’t it? Up the stairs to a view over the market. The ideal spot for people watching.

summer hats and shades
summer hats and shades

A writer always watches people. Look at these two. Are they together? Or did two people wearing hats like that just happen to stop at this stall at the same time? What is she looking at? What is he looking at? I know ‘cos I was there.

Holidaymakers?

Certainly.

French?

I think not.

This picture is crying out for a caption. Why don’t you send me some ideas? Just for the fun of it. I’ll look forward to that.

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Cheers!

Edit: 13th July – I was contacted by Natalia Paruz – ‘The Saw Lady’- you should visit her site. Her music is beautiful. And watch the video clip of the musical saw festival. You will be amazed.

Languedoc Vine Report #15 Master of Wine July 10th

JulietToday, we have something special on our Languedoc Vine Report.

By chance, I have a contact in the wine-growing sorority: a lady who not only holds the coveted Master of Wine qualification, but now owns her own vineyards and, together with her husband is developing her own range of fine wines under the Domaine Lou Cayla label.

Juliet Bruce Jones actually stands behind me in the Capestang Chorale Internationale where we are part of the soprano section. She has a beautiful voice. The only reason she stands on the back row is because she’s a tall lady. When it comes to knowledge about vines and winemaking, however, Juliet is right up there at the front.

As well as managing her own vineyards, she sources quality wines for international buyers and conducts tastings and workshops for consumers and trade.

I ask her to explain about the Master of Wine qualification; give us an insight into what it involves.

Juliet:
To obtain the Master of Wine qualification you have to pass a gruelling set of exams which test knowledge of all things wine, from viticulture and winemaking to marketing and selling to a global market. There are also 3 blind tasting papers where students have to identify 36 wines and answer questions on them. This requires a lot of practice and to keep a clear head it is vital to always spit the wine out! I passed the MW exam in 1998.
 
I want to know if it is mostly male-dominated.
Juliet:
There are 300 Masters of Wine worldwide, 90 of whom are women.
I know now I’m in the presence of vine royalty.
I’m thinking about dropping a curtsy.
I am curious about Juliet’s choice of location in France. I know Languedoc is the biggest wine-producing region in the world, but were there other reasons she chose to live here?
Minerve vines
Juliet:
We have always loved France and both my husband and I already spoke French so when we decided to leave the UK in 2004, France was the obvious choice. The Languedoc appealed as it has a wild, rugged beauty, like my native Scotland but with more sunshine and vines! Also, the fact that it doesn’t have a long history of fine wine production, unlike  Bordeaux or Burgundy, means that there is much more freedom to plant what you like, where you like. The great terroirs of the Languedoc are still being discovered so for a wine lover it is a tremendously exciting region.
I mention this year’s strange weather patterns. Those of you who’ve been following my Languedoc Vine Reports will be aware the weather has been unusual this year. I ask Juliet what makes for a good vintage?
Juliet:
Sufficient rain in winter to build up water reserves to see the vines through the summer (for non irrigated vineyards like ours). Good weather at flowering in May/June to ensure good fruitset, low humidity during the summer so fungicide treatments are kept to a minimum! Warm but not baking temperatures as excessive heat can cause cause severe vine stress and burn the berries. No heavy rain before or during harvest as that can dilute flavours and definitely no hail, which can be devastating. That is the weather wishlist but it rarely happens like that and yet good wines are made. This year we have had lots of rain but it has been very cold too and the vines are about 2 weeks behind last year. But it could still be a fabulous year.
I ask about future ambitions.
Juliet:
 Ambitions? To make a great Languedoc wine.
To learn how to rock climb.
To consistently sing top D with ease
Top D isn’t easy. In fact, top D is impossible for me. Juliet is referring to our choir’s recent productions of Carmina Burana where only Juliet could hit the top D in the score.
But if it’s on Juliet’s wish-list, I can guarantee she’s going to do it.
To find out more about Juliet and her wines, why not visit her website? You can contact her through her Minerve Wines website, too.
Juliet also blogs. Here. There’s also a link on her website.  www.minervewines.com                      helpinghands
Juliet's vine harvest
2012 harvesting Syrah with some helping hands.
A visit to Domaine Lou Cayla is on the cards, I think.

Wednesday Languedoc Vine Report. #14 July 3rd

High winds have continued throughout this week in the vines. Then, on Sunday, the wind stopped and the temperature soared. Here’s Sunday’s photos in the vineyards:

Merlot vine
Mademoiselle Merlot

I’m looking for a change of colour soon in our chosen grapevine. Merlot grapes are thin-skinned and mature before other red varieties.

Merlot vine
another bunch of baby grapes

Meanwhile, in the Chardonnay field –

Chardonnay vine
Chardonnay beginning to plump

Vineyards are looking full of promise. Everywhere you walk, the fields are green and lush.

vines on the hill
looks like Paradise to me!

Around every corner, there’s another fine view of fine wines in the making.

vine in wind
wind blowing through the vines

And now that the temperatures have reached the magic number, cigales (cicadas) are singing in the trees and hedgerows. It’s the boys who do the singing – rattling their exoskeleton to attract the ladies. Here’s what they sound like: cigale song video

That’s one of the typical sounds of summer in Languedoc.

You hardly ever get to see cicadas while you’re out walking. Occasionally, they’ll come into your garden. Here’s what they look like:

cicada
cicada or in French cigale

Their life cycle is unusual. The nymphs spend many years underground before emerging to live a short life as an adult winged insect with one purpose: reproduction.

So, the boys sing like crazy as long as it’s warm enough. How they make the sound is interesting and if you’d like to know more about it there’s a website dedicated to all things cicada. Here’s a link:

http://www.cicadamania.com

And now some exciting news about next week’s post. Master of Wine, Juliet Bruce Jones has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about qualifying as Master of Wine and her life as a winegrower here in Languedoc. I can’t wait. It’s my first EXCLUSIVE. Wow!

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See you next week,

Cheers!

 

Summer in Languedoc. Writers take notes!

It’s SUMMER. That’s official. The tourist information offices are full of bright, coloured pamphlets and brochures with endless lists and calendars of things you can do through July and August.

Some places here were built for summer. Take Cap d’Agde. Although the history of Agde, just inland from the coast on the banks of the river Hérault, goes back to the times of ancient Greece, the resort around the marina at the Cap didn’t exist until the 1970s.

In summer we have water sports for all the family. There’s just about every water sport you could name. My new short story of the month, Aquapark Blues, is set in a water slide park. You can find it here. (This link will work until the end of July when another new short story of the month goes in.) I hope you have a few minutes to read it.

But if you don’t care to participate in water sports, there’s one you’ll love to watch: WATER JOUSTING.

summer water joust
A fine spectacle at the water joust

Water jousting takes place every summer

in Agde, Marseillan, Meze and in Hérault’s own Little Venice, Sète. When the water jousts first began in the 1600s the blue boat, manned by bachelors of the town would be set against the red boat, manned by married men. I don’t know who used to win most often in those days, but every year you are guaranteed a fun-packed show, full of thrills and spills. But don’t be fooled that this is all good, light-hearted fun. The teams may behave in a gentlemanly fashion, but the competition is deadly serious.

Watch this video from the Sète Tourist Office.

Isn’t that exciting? Don’t you just love the sights, sounds? The atmosphere? This is one of the reasons I love where I live.That’s why writers should carry a notebook. Wherever you go here, in summer you’ll find another story around the corner.

The instrument used as the barges approach one another is the hautbois. Today’s modern oboe has a similar soprano timbre. It was a good choice of instrument, together with a drum, for water jousting as the sound is clear and penetrating. It’s clearly audible over all the other noise.

water joust
serious competition

With all this excitement, how am I ever going to find time to write?

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New Vine watch Report tomorrow – PLUS news of guest contributors this month.

Wednesday Languedoc Vine Report

Vines and villages
looking across the vines to the next village

Spraying continues in the vineyards. The vines are healthy but delayed in their development due to unusual weather conditions. A late harvest is almost certain. However, experts tell me it’s still possible for them to ‘catch up’ should the weather settle into its more usual summer pattern.

winds of the compass
a name for every wind

Winds have been keeping temperatures down. We have a variety of winds here. They all have names. The Tramontane blows from the north; its cousin the Tarral blows from the north-west. Both are powerful; sometimes it can feel as if they’re arguing with one another. They whistle through the vines and make the support wires sing like a ghostly choir.

(There goes the romantic in me coming out again!)

Notwithstanding all this wind and cooler temperatures, Languedoc looks fantastic this month. The light is an artist’s dream: it’s as if the cooler air is cleaner, fresher than usual. Colours are brighter. Evenings are superb.

Languedoc vines
vines rolling into the distance

The contrast of green foliage and red soil is perfectly complementary – exact opposites on an artist’s colour wheel. That’s what makes it so satisfying.

Our Mademoiselle Merlot is looking perky. Here she is.

Merlot vine
Mademoiselle Merlot

Vine leaves shade this bunch of baby grapes.

Apart from some wind damage to the top growth, the vines are healthy.

Growers expect a good crop even if it is a little late.

In the vineyard across the lane, the Chardonnay is well ahead. Compare the baby grapes.

Chardonnay vine
Chardonnay grapes

I’m licking my lips already. Make space in the fridge! These beauties are best chilled.

Walking through the vineyards is such a pleasure. Each month there’s something different to see.

lane through the vines
many lanes through the vines

Those dark trees along the lanes sometimes have a surprise for you. Maybe they’re almonds or figs. Maybe they are pomegranates.

pomegranate flowers
bright orange flowers on pomegranate trees

Each flower will become a bright orange pomegranate. What a wonderful picture they make!

Join me next week for the Wednesday Vine watch report. Who knows what surprises we’ll have in store?

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Fire jumping on the summer solstice feast of St John. How Languedoc celebrates.

solstice
the sun and moon in a solstice embrace

On the eve of the feast of St John the Baptist, many villages here in Languedoc, celebrate with some kind of fire jumping party. The date, rather conveniently some might suggest, coincides with Pagan midsummer rituals when bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits. Summer solstice was a magical time of year for the ancient peoples.

Today, children enjoy the festivities put on especially for them. Last night our village laid on a disco party with snow machine. The kids were thoroughly soaked before the bonfires were lit – a good idea for those planning to jump the fire later.

St John's eve snow and fire jumping party
disco with snow machine

Snow machines turn up at most of our outdoor summer parties. On the evenings of Soiree Mousse, you wear your old clothes!

snow before the fire jumping
getting clothes wet before jumping the fires

Volunteer firefighters are in charge of the bonfires. Our village has its own firefighting equipment, all manned by residents – a schoolteacher, business people etc. Cadets are welcome and many village children learn the ropes when they are quite young before becoming volunteer firefighters themselves.

The firemen prepare the bonfires using grubbed up vines. The smaller pile is for the youngest children.

vines for firejumping
old vines make good bonfires

If any of the children don’t look wet enough to go fire jumping, they must douse themselves with water from the firefighters’ bucket!

firejumping preparation
getting thoroughly wet

The fires are lit. The kids are getting excited. There’s a lot of shouting encouragement. Health and Safety? Risk assessments?

 

Why would you want to spoil the fun with rules and regulations? Nobody ever gets hurt. There are so many responsible adults on hand to see that doesn’t happen. Watch the short clips I took last night to see the fun. Here and here.

Is this too dangerous? Should this tradition be stopped? Would you let your children brave the fire jump? What do you think?

Thank you for visiting my website. Please feel free to leave a comment. I love to hear what you think.

Wednesday Languedoc Vine Watch Report June 19th

Languedoc vines at dawn
early dawn in the vineyards

Just a short vine report this week. We have visitors from England, one of whom arrived last Saturday unwell. Making doctor’s appointments on the phone taxes my French, especially when they reply in rapid fire. I’m still working out the last few words while they’re rushing through the next three sentences.

French healthcare is among the best in Europe, in my opinion, and here in this part of southern France, we have access to some of the most up-to-date technology in healthcare. Montpellier is at the cutting edge of medical research, its teaching hospitals and research laboratories among the finest in the world. I’m sure my friend will soon feel much better.

What’s happening in the vines this week.

The growers are still spraying some varieties, notably the Syrah (Shiraz). The whites, and in particular, the Chardonnay are set now. We want them to grow fat and fill up with lusciousness.

Merlot vines
Merlot growing well
Chardonnay vines
lusty Chardonnay vines

We’ve had high humidity (75-80 %) for the last few days and again, this isn’t what we’ve come to expect at this time of year. Growers will be vigilant in their fight against powdery mildew, especially with regard to young plants in new vineyards whose leaves are more susceptible.

In our garden, we have our own plants to tend.

tomato vine
cocktail tomatoes on their vine

These cocktail tomatoes always do well here. We don’t have to restrict their height. They just keep on growing and producing.

courgettes
courgettes in flower

Courgettes also do well. These are the round variety with fruits the shape of miniature pumpkins. The flowers are a vivid yellow, a colour said to be most attractive to many garden insects.

 

Himself and I love chillies. We always grow our own. Here’s some of this year’s crop .

Still bright green, these chillies will begin to look black before they take on their hot red coats. You need a strong red to drink with spicy food. Lucky for us, we know just where to find a selection of those!

So, cheers for now! Don’t forget to subscribe at FOLLOW CELIA so you don’t miss new posts.

chilli peppers
chilli peppers

THank you for visiting my website. Please feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

Celia

Wednesday Vine Watch Report #11 June 12th

The main topic of conversation this week is the WEATHER. The vines’ development is delayed. We’re expecting a much later harvest this year. Some varieties, such as the Syrah (Shiraz) have yet to flower, such is the delay because of unusual cooler conditions.

vine spraying machinery
the vines are still being sprayed with copper sulphate

Vines still need to be sprayed until the grapes have set. Wine growers in the hills forecast a vendange three to four weeks later than usual.

Here where we are, nearer the coast, we’ve also had cold winds, colder night time temperatures and rain like you wouldn’t believe.

Visitors find it hard to believe we get rainstorms like on this video. It pours from the roof and makes a river running out under the gate.

Here’s what also happens during storms. We lose our satellite television. Right in the middle of the French Open final!

No signal
during the French Open final!!! Aaaargh!
vines in the morning
a morning chorus of Merlot!

 

Himself and I have continued our daily walks. And I’m still adding to my collection of photos in and around the vineyards.

Here are some pictures featuring grey skies, just so’s you can see we do get them sometimes!

 

vines in the mist
misty vines

 

 

 

Merlot vines
cheeky spider on the Merlot!

Fortunately, when we do get bad weather, it doesn’t last too long. We know the sun will soon be showing its face again.

Here’s the latest close-ups on our Mademoiselle. I didn’t know the spider was there till I uploaded the photo.

Chardonnay vine
Chardonnay June 12th

After the rainstorm, the temperature rocketed. Yesterday, we notched up 31 degrees in the same place where the rain was bouncing off the floor a few days ago.

flags in the breeze
flags in the breeze

There’s hardly a cloud in the sky. We think the summer has finally begun.

And to prove it, here’s this morning’s sunrise. Follow the line of the sun to see what she’s lighting up – our Merlot!

It must be an omen.

 

sunrise on our vine
sunrise on our Merlot

Cheers!

Don’t forget to subscribe at FOLLOW CELIA so you don’t miss new posts.

Coming soon on Wednesday Languedoc Vinewatch – an interview with a Master of Wine who now grows her own.

Wednesday Vine Report #10 Languedoc Vinewatch June 5th. Mademoiselle Merlot looking lush.

Walking through the vineyards has been a real pleasure this week. It’s always a pleasure, but this week, the wind has warmed. I’ve been out walking without a long sleeve fleece or sweater. Carrying a bottle of water instead!

Mademoiselle Merlot is looking fantastic. Soon, we’ll have to leave the house earlier to complete our walk, before it grows too hot.

Merlot vine
at last the Languedoc sunshine is feeling warmer

The growers have clipped off the extraneous growth from the tops and bottoms of the vines. There has been some wind damage and I’ve noticed a yellowing of the leaves on some varieties. They tell me this is because of the prolonged wet weather. Perhaps this is also the reason we’ve got similar yellowing on some of our garden plants at home. Himself is investigating.

We’ve walked further and further in our quest to bring you more interesting sights . . . and sounds.

First, the sights.

vineyard track
where does this track lead?

A new adventure awaits in the trees. Another vista. Another photo opportunity? Cut through the gap in the trees, drop into a small valley, climb the other side and hey presto! You’re back in the south of France.

vineyard huts
shelters in the vineyards

We’ve seen growers out with their notepads, drawing up forecasts. Maybe the harvest is going to be late this year.

Further along one of our walks this week, we came across this:

Roses in the vines
sacrificial roses
garrigue heath land
wild flowers in the garrigue

Roses act as an early warning system for pests and diseases. We often see bushes like this planted at the ends of rows of vines. Here’s something else we often see. Hares are everywhere, especially as you climb toward the garrigue – the heathland above the vineyards. It’s virgin land in the garrigue and, after this cool spring, it’s full of colour from great swathes of wild flowers.

hare in the vines
the one that got away . . .

Drop into the hidden valleys where the tree canopy forms a roof above your head and the atmosphere changes. It’s warm and still, but over head there’s birdsong you wouldn’t hear closer to the village.

Here’s a link to the sounds of the vineyards. Red kites are circling overhead, but these little songsters are well-hidden and singing their hearts out. Lovely!

Climb higher and there are more surprises. In a clearing, look who we found.

Camargue mare and foal
white Camargue horses

Camargue foals are dark. They don’t develop their famous colour until they’re four or five years old. This beautiful mare came to say hello and her baby followed.

Camargue mare
mother . . .

What a wonderful place to grow up! Maybe one day this little chap will be the star attraction at one of the many riding schools we have hereabouts.

Camargue foal
and baby

We have three equestrian centres close to our village. Even in the heat of the summer, there’s plenty of business for them.

It remains to be seen whether we shall have a late vendange this year.

I mentioned wild flowers. Just look at these.

grasshopper
if he’d jumped . . .aarrrrgh!

Flowers and insects everywhere. I haven’t photographed the vetches and campions of my childhood days when I kept a wild flower book during my primary schooldays. There are huge drifts of flowers here that I don’t recognise. Great swathes of pink, purple and blue, almost as far as you can see.                                                                 Black honey bees are gigantic. We call them Wellington Bombers. They look so heavy I don’t know how they can get airborne. They can be quite aggressive too – best not get agitated – let them go about their business.                                            After our long walk, it’s back home for a hearty breakfast.

DSCN0544

DSCN0545

black bee
DSCN0526See you next week for the next Vinewatch report.