The part of the Canal du Midi that we cruised through is in the Minervois region of Languedoc. This is a region whose wines I am not familiar with . Perhaps they are not marketed outside of France. Perhaps the wineries are very small. Nonetheless, we enjoyed these local wines very much. Among my several photos are the four above, at the Chateau de Ventenac. This is a pretty large operation and apparently popular with the boating visitors: the woman who conducted the winetasting said, as I took her photograph: "I am famous around the world."The soil in this vineyard looks sandy or stony. Not what I think of as fertile. The bright yellow machine drives along straddling a row and many forks comb the grapes from the vines. Reminds me of cotton picking machines I've seen in Mississippi - only lots smaller.
Then we came upon the Domaine Guery (if I remember correctly). M. Tastevy, the owner and winemaker welcomed us and first explained the huge and ancient grape press that was built in his great-grandfather's time and is still used. We tasted his several wines, and of course purchased some for our next several meals.
Finally, here is a link to M. Tastevy talking about the "old language" of Oc.
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