THE SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE

Bize Minervois is located in the heart of the Languedoc Roussillon, the most productive grape growing area of France. Bize is situated on the river Cesse with a very pleasant summer bathing pool formed by partially daming up the river. Bize is surrounded by vineyards and is also well known for its olives. Just down the road from Bize is the village Pouzols. It is here where we go to buy our wine from the Cave. Wine on tap at just over a Euro a litre, or wine in the bottle or a box. The Garden of Bacchus, near the Cave is home to 87 varieties of grape. Each year in the garden the children pick the grapes and the resulting wine is sold in aid of charity. The Cave has an interesting museum of items related to wine making and offers visits to vineyards in the summer.

We are equidistant from Narbonne (on the coast) and Carcassonne which is a fascinating medieval city. We have yet to visit Carcassonne so hopefully an account of this city will follow at a later date. The Canal de Robine runs through the centre of Narbonne and joins the Canal du Midi. The Canal du Midi runs for 235K from Toulouse to the sea and has over 100 locks. There is nothing nicer on a warm summers evening than a meal or a walk alongside the canal.