Caunes-Minervois is a very small town, so small that the bus could not be driven within two blocks of the hotels in which we were staying. On our walk to the hotel we were greeted with smiles and even "bravo" from a few residents who seemed puzzled that such a large group was in the area.
No hotel in the town was large enough for our group so about half of us stayed in this hotel while the other half stayed in a bed and breakfast nearby,
In honor of her birthday Vicky was assigned the Versailles Room.
This room was large enough to hold a party for the whole group in the evening.
For more party pictures, see the People page.
The city had a beautiful sculpture, made from the red marble local to this area.
Caunes had a beautiful old abbey and in its office was an internet connection some of us used.
In the morning we boarded the bus for a short ride to the town of Minerve. From the bus we were able to take pictures of a windmill.
Because the village of Minerve was so small, Ludo had to leave the bus on this side of the river and we walked over on the bridge.
From the village we had a view of the old tower, the remains of the old fortifications of the city.
In Minerve there is a memorial to the Cathars executed in the small square there. Their symbol was the dove which is carved out of the rock of the memorial.
While Patrick was telling us about the Cathars, a horn blew and a small van drove up and stopped so the local people could buy their bread.
We walked through the village and our bus met us at the other end, where we continued on our trip to Le Pech d'André winery. The newly retired owner, Mark, greeted us and let us taste four wines: a white (Vin de Pays "Cotes du Bryan"), a rosé by the same name, a red (Grand Terroir) and a dessert wine. In the process he explained how to use the senses of sight, smell and taste in trying the wines. He spoke in French and Patrick translated for us.
Each tasting was followed by a round of bread topped with tempanada, made in part with olives also grown at this estate.
Mark also took us on a short tour of the area where the grapes were first processed. The vats at the rear are made of concrete and it is here that the wine is stored.
We had some views of the vineyard after the tasting.
While we were tasting, Pamela had prepared an expansive lunch of bread, cheeses, meats, smoked salmon, fruit and desserts.
We then ate the picnic lunch in the yard of the estate, behind the winery.
On our bus ride back to Caunes we saw a number of vineyards, including one in which 4 men were working. They waved to us and beckoned us to come and help them pick grapes, but we didn't stop. We did stop later at a viewpoint where we could see some vines loaded with grapes.
Our dinner at the hotel that evening was memorable in that each group of four was served en famille (family style) a huge Nicoise salad and a main course of cassoulet, a local specialty, a bean stew made with sausage and duck. Most of us also remember the delicious lemon tart we had for dessert.
On y va to Carcassonne.