Aspectos destacados del vecindario
Aigne is a small and historic rural village in wine-making country. The centre of the village features a 'circulade' - concentric rings of ancient buildings centered around a small square with the village church. There is a sculptor (Pascal Migeon) in the village who did the stone carvings you'll see in the house.
There is a good and very popular restaurant 'Lo Cagarol' and an excellent wine shop 'Vigne Vierge' which also serves charcuterie and small dishes Thursday - Saturday evenings.
The nearest bakery is 5 minutes drive in Aigues-Vives and there's also a very good small supermarket there.
Bize-Minervois has a life-guarded swimming area on the river during the summer and also an award winning olive oil manufacturer 'L'Oulibo'. You can also swim at Lac de Jouarres near Homps.
Nearby Minerve is beautiful village perched on a dramatic outcrop which was one of the last strongholds of the Cathar Christian sub-sect. It has several restaurants and souvenir shops and below the village is a dramatic gorge with an enormous natural arch. There is some river swimming below the village also.
Olonzac is the closest small town, with a great bakery, cafes, restaurants, ATM, and a park - and has an excellent market on Tuesdays.
Other markets include: Bize-Minervois (Wednesday), Narbonne (Sunday), St. Chinian (Thursday, Sunday), Capestang (Wednesday, Sunday), Quarante (Wednesday), Puisseguier (Friday). They all start to pack up about 12.30pm.
Also within easy distance is the Canal du Midi with many villages with cafes and restaurants like Homps (close to Olonzac) and Le Somail (off the road to Narbonne.)
Some nearby restaurants we like are:
Grand Cafe Occitan, Felines-Minervois
Restaurant Table ‘O, Beaufort
La Cave, La Caunette
Bastide de Cabezac, Bize-Minervois
Restaurant Le 1900, Olonzac
Auberge de la Croisade, Cruzy
Relais Chantovent, Minerve
Château de Siran, Siran
Les Tonneliers, Homps
There are many many more in the area!
MORE PLACES TO GO!
Carcassonne has the dramatic UNESCO listed fortified citadel. It's firmly on the tourist trail but is impressive and worth a walk around and through. You get a great view of it from the motorway to/from Toulouse.
Narbonne and Beziers are both charming cities. Narbonne has a good covered market next to the canal and a very dramatic cathedral. There is a great new museum called Narbo Via displaying many of the Roman artefacts discovered in and around the city.
Beziers is situated on a hilltop looking over the river Orb and also has a great cathedral and a pleasant tree-lined central Allee Paul Riquet (the engineer who designed the Canal du Midi). There is a series of 9 large canal locks close to the city - and they're very active in the summer months.
Both Narbonne and Beziers are on the way to the many beaches along the coast. They all have large expanses of fine sand and most are gently sloped. The water is very clean.
Guissan has characterful stilted beach houses in the area close to the sea and also has an old village on a small hill set back from the water.
Other beaches to try are St. Pierre La Mer and Narbonne Plage. You can reach these on a pleasant road over the Massif de la Clape passing some famous wine domains on the way.
There is a nice village called Bages situated on the salt lake (etang) near Guissan - well known for its oysters.
For a change of scenery (and often lower temperatures) you can head north towards St. Pons and the Montagne Noir. It's more forested and wilder up there and great for walking. There's a large lake with swimming near Salvetat-sur-Agout.
The Abbaye de Fontfroide is a beautiful former monastery from the 12th century nestled in a wooded area. They often have concerts and it's about 45 drive minutes away - recommended!
WINE
Vineyards are everywhere!
Aigne has a well respected and popular domain - St Leocadie. Run by Anne and Thierry Bonnel, its style is very representative of the area.
Also nearby is Domaine de la la Prade Mari, Chateau de Landure, Chateau de Cabezac and the more highly priced La Liviniere domains.
I particularly like Chateau Maris - they also run the Grand Cafe Occitan mentioned above.
You could spend days visiting winemakers and trying their wines. Chateau de Paraza is also a great place on the Canal du Midi. Our parents’ first house in the area was in that village, so it’s very much in our hearts.
St Jean de Minervois (best known for its muscat) is on the way to St Chinian - both are great wine areas.
PRODUCE
The other side of the village of Agel, up in the hills there is an amazing goats cheese maker - Cheverie de Combebelle. You can buy direct from the dairy and also see the goats being milked.
I’ve mentioned olives and olive oil above - but worth mentioning again - L’Oulibo in Bize Minervois. There’s also Domaine Olea in Agel for organic olive oil and honey.
Look out for road-side stalls in the summer months with locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables.
Also keep an eye out when driving around for special events, festivals and vide grenier / brocantes (flea markets.)
You'll find much of this information in the folder in the living room, and there's also folder containing lots of local information sheets and event listings.
