the languedoc-roussillon region of france stretches west from provence to the spanish border. it’s widely believed to be the largest producer of wines in the world although people outside of france are more likely to have tasted a côtes du rhone or champagne than a corbieres from the region. until recently, the quality of wine was sub-par. thankfully, a resurgence in traditional winemaking techniques has turned things around.
we landed in montpellier and drove to narbonne. out first stop was the chateau l’hospitalet. the chateaux in the languedoc aren’t really chateaux in the true sense of the word but are more large manses or even farmhouses. i woke to the sound of birds singing outside my window. l’hospitalet offers comfortable rooms with views of the lovely vineyard but i thought the wines were mediocre. i much preferred the corbieres rosé chateau ollieux romanis and vins de pays de l’aude rouge capucine from chateau ollieux romanis in monseret. a small family-run winery, ollieux romanis makes wine the old fashioned way and you can taste it in the finished product. unfortunately, it’s not available stateside.
vines at l'hospitalet
at the vineyard
the garden at l'hospitalet
entrance to ollieux romanis
barrels at ollieux romanis
we toured the abbaye de fontfroide, the first of several cathar sites in the region (the languedoc is officially known as le pays cathare, or cathar country). the cistercian monastery was founded in the 11th century by saint robert. the monks are long gone but the abbaye is kept in working order as if they still inhabited the space. it’s a soothing place, with lavender fields and rose gardens. i wanted to lay down among the lavender and have the sun caress my skin. but it was time to go elsewhere.
lavender at the abbaye
inside the abbaye
grounds at the abbaye de fonfroide
stained glass inside the abbaye
we worked our way from the coast to carcassonne, the medieval walled city and the most visited heritage site in france. standing among the battlements, i could imagine its inhabitants forever fearing invasion from all directions. marauding crusaders, at the behest of the pope, slaughtered 400 cathars in carcassonne. about 60 people currently reside inside the city walls. their perfectly maintained cottages can be seen from the top of the fortress. too bad they have to contend with 4 million visitors each year.
a view from the battlements
a home inside the walled city
carcassonne
a street inside the citadel
part of the city wall
the restaurants and shops inside the fortress are tourist traps so we left the citadel and ventured to nearby le parc, franck putelat’s one-star restaurant. an amazing and laughter-filled four-course lunch followed.
collioure sits near the spanish border and is decidedly catalan in flavor. once occupied by the visigoths, it was also home to the knights templar in the 13th century. houses are washed in reds, yellows and blues rather than the more traditional white. it’s as if i was in seville again. bullfighting is common as is sangria and paella. i spent a wonderful sunny afternoon discovering small alleyways and climbing to the highest point in town to look at the pyrenees and the blue mediterranean.
restaurant in collioure
alleyway in coilloure
view of the sea
more collioure
pink house
collioure harbor
our last stop was the chateau valmy, a mansion designed in the style of mad king ludwig’s castle in bavaria. rapunzel was always my favorite fairy tale princess and valmy would be the perfect castle at which to recreate her story. the carefully manicured grounds are expansive, with rose bushes and vines running for acres. the carbonnell family occupies most of the castle but five bedrooms are available to paying guests. i thought of hiding in one of the kitchen cupboards. i don’t think they’d find me…
chateau valmy vineyards
chateau valmy vineyards
the chateau
chateau grounds
a different view
