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4 August : The renown of Corbières
wine is growing! Baron Eric de Rothschild has just signed an agreement with
the major local wine-producing company, the Vignerons du Val d'Orbieu. The
new partnership has taken over the huge Domaine des Aussières (160
hectares), near Bizanet, which
has been completely neglected for the last four years. Almost all the existing
vines have been torn up (producing a very noticeable empty space alongside
the A61 motorway approaching Narbonne from Carcassonne). Over the next 5
years, 25 million francs (around 2.5 million pounds sterling) will be invested
in replanting. Two thirds of the production will be Corbières AOC;
the rest will be the increasingly popular Languedoc varietal wines (Chardonnay,
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc ...).
21--24 May: Promaude: the annual agricultural fair at Lézignan-Corbières. Don’t miss:
26 April: Despite the recent heavy rain, the drought is continuing. In 1988, 350mm of rain was recorded in the Narbonne area instead of the usual 575mm. At Tuchan (near Durban) the 370mm was far short of the normal 650mm. Between October 98 and March 99 only 118mm of rain fell so, despite recent thunderstorms, things are beginning to look worrying. For up-to-date weather information see our weather page. 25 April: The Irish airline Ryanair will increase the frequency of its London-Carcassone flights to twice a day for the holiday period 1 July to 30 October. The price is around £100 return. Information from 00 33 468 71 96 65. 16 March: Le Banquet du Livre leaves Lagrasse. Following a dispute between the Town Hall and the organisers, the annual literary festival which has been held in Lagrasse during August for the last four years will be happening elsewhere this year ... 27 February : Are olives making a comeback? The devastating frosts of 1956 destroyed a large part of the olive groves in the south of France and there was very little enthusiasm for replantation afterwards. However, some signs of new growth have recently appeared. The local council for the Aude has financed a study of the existing olive groves with a view to replantation. Last year there was a demonstration of pruning at the chapel of Notre Dame des Oubiels near Portel-les-Corbières to encourage the cultivation. At the same time, at the Moulin de Boysède near Lagrasse an abandoned olive grove has been taken in hand and is now producing oil. Perhaps more significantly, the olive growers' cooperative at Bize-Minervois is making a name for itself. You can find their olives locally and sometimes further afield; the lucques and picholines are wonderful! 11 February : The basic price for AOC Corbières was stable at 520F for 100 litres last week. (This compares with a low approaching 400F a year ago)(Source l'Indépendant newspaper) 6 February 1999: The late frost in April 1998 and the hail in June had the predicted effect on the grape crop. Final figures from the Cru Corbières gave an average yield of 38hl/ha (3800 litres/hectare), the worst result for 20 years. On the other hand prices have increased so that on average vine growers have ended up with an income similar to in previous years. However, this statistic hides disastrous results for those growers who were worst affected by the bad weather. 25 January 1999: The annual competition for the best red wines from the Corbières took place in Brussels this year. 140 wines were tasted by a jury composed of over 100 wine professionals. The winners, listed below, were rewarded by a "C" d'or (golden "C").
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