LEAVING NORMANDY - NINE HOUR DRIVE TO SOUTHWEST FRANCE

PEZENAS (LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON REGION)

 

We chose for our next home, Pezenas, a Medieval town in the 13th century. the crossroads where paths from the east to the west, from the Rhone river to the Pyrenees and the Garonne river, in the heart of the Herault valley. The colony was first created as a wool trade industry. Pezenas owes its first fortune to the Capetians, who annexed it to the royal estate. Saint-Louis purchased the town in 1262, and ten years later the King granted it its first trade fair. Pezenas was renowned for its fairs until the beginning of the 19th century. The market that was established on November 28, 1484 , and a zone of trading influence that stretches to 30 of the surrounding villages.

The most famous citizen of Pezenas, was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin - who renamed himself , Moliere (1622-1673). He lived here from 1650-1656. Moliere was born to a prospereous family. He disowned his heritage and followed his illustrious calling to the theatre. Moliere not only wrote his plays , 81 in all, but he also acted in them. "Tartuffe, "The Misanthrope", and "The School For Wives" are three of his most famous. In 1673, while he was acting in "The Imaginary Invalid" and suffering from tuberculosis, he collapsed, with a heavy coughing fit, and hemorraged his brain. He died a few hours later.

 

Our apartment in Pezenas was in the oldest section of town. It had a famous "historic staircase" when one entered the courtyard. The Baluster's were very prominent. The iron work handmade by the locksmiths. They appeared in Pezenas at the end of the 17th century. Mullioned window, composed of a vertical stone separating the window in two parts, were common during the 17th century. The stairs are the most famous in all of France. The most ancient stairs 15th century are made of flights of stairs located in the inner courtyard. Bosses were rag-stones whose outside facing is protruding. They are commonly seen around doorways. Cul - de- lampe are fantastical figures, grotesque or lassical , ornamenting a capital, a key - stone or a clasp. They appeared in the 18th century, around the windows. Cross-ribbed vault were in the ceilings reinforced by diagonal ribs, the function of which is to strengthen the groined vault. Machicolations are corbelling out part placed at the top end of a wall or a tower, formed of brackets or consoles supporting small arcatures. This opening was used to throw all kinds of projectiles at the enemies.

The street where we lived

Historic staircase leading to my apartment

The doors of Pezenas are from the 12th-13th century. There is even a museum devoted to them.

 

 

 

Musee de Vuilliod-Saint-Germain. The mansion in which the museum was created in 1942 was a legacy from the Saint-Germain noble family. It was build during the 16th century, and restored in the 19th century. Aubusson tapestries , furniture from the 16th,17th and 18th centures are offered to the view. The local souvenirs of Moliere's stays in the city are also displayed.

 

 

The Collegiate Church Saint-Jean was built by J.B.Franque in 1740. Beautiful Toscan nave, an organ case by J.F.Lepine, boren in Pezenas (1732-1817).

There were firewords and music in the streets of Pezenas outside my window quite frequently. Very festive!!

The weekly Saturday market in Pezenas

 

WINE TASTING IN THE AREA

The soul of the region, around which an entire trip can easily be build, winemaking in Languedoc-Roussillon is enjoying a renaissance. Following violent protests over Italian imports in the mid-1970's, farmers were subsidised to cut down their vines and replant with better-quality AOC grapes, hence Languedoc's splendid wine production today.

Of increasing interest are the thoroughly modern table wines made under the Vin de Pays d'Oc. Free of AOC restriction these wines experiment with new grape blends. Fabulous results: creative, exciting, affordable wines with funky names and designer etiquettes to reflect contemporary tastes. In 1978 the viticulturist, Sacha Lichine, kickstarted the revolution and proved to the wine world that a non-AOC red could give an AOC Bordeaux a run for its money. He blends grapes from the are to make his "chicken wines". Le Coq Rouge (The Red Rooster); La Poule Blanche (The White Chicken); Grenache and Carignan grapes for the Le Poussin Rose (The Pink Chick).

Languedoc sensations in the US market include Red Bicyclette and Fat Bastard. An anti wine snob, Thierry Boudinaud said to his US partner, upon tasting the wine said "now that is what you call a fat bastard" - hence the name.

A lot of vinyards in the area are very small, and they pool their harvest and form co operatives. We tasted the wines in these co operatives.

 

Blanquette de Limoux

In 1531 the monks of the Abbaye de St-Hilaire first put the bubbles into the local white wine, pressed from mauzac grapes. To this day, blanquette methode ancestrale uses exclusively this same mauzac grape, which because of fine white down on its leaves, led to the name blanquette. Sweeter, and low in alcohol, ususes a jmjority of mauzac grapes, blended in different proportions with chenin, originally from the Loire region, and chardonnay, the classic white grape of Burgundy. They claim that when Dom Perignon was on a tour of the area he stole their recipe for methode champanoise.