Since I’ve been out of travel-related posts for a while now, I’m going to try to introduce you to some of the events I found on my FaceBook timeline that are held in France for tourists. I’ll try to learn French as well.
Now, I’d like to introduce you to four gourmet-related events that will take place in the Occitanie region of southern France from May 14 to July 1 this year. All of them are about hiking and enjoying the AOC wine yards in this area.
By the way, Languedoc-Roussillon region and Midi-Pyrénées region merged to form Occitanie region in October last year. So almost half of the most beautiful villages in France are in this region.
There are only 4 events in total during this period, but the following 4 events are scheduled. All of them will be held in the main cities of the region, such as Montpellier and Narbonne (actually, you will travel from there), so you can easily get there by public transportation.
In the meantime, please check which part of France you are in.
Geographically, it is right under France. Spain (Catalonia and Barcelona) is also close to the region.
List of Events
Let’s take a brief look at the four events that were introduced on this website.
1 – BALADE GASTRONOMIQUE AUX GRÉS DE MONTPELLIER Dimanche 14 mai 2017 à Montpellier
The first one will take place on May 14 in Montpellier. Les Grés de Montpellier, which is organizing it, is an AOC winemaker very close to the center of Montpellier. It looks like you start from the city center and walk to here, starting at 9:45am, leaving every 15 minutes and going until 2pm. The price is 59 euros for adults. There are discounts for children and groups.
I went to Montpellier three years ago in the summer. I couldn’t spend much time there because of my tight schedule, but if I have a chance to go there again, I’d like to enjoy the wine more.
2 – SENTIERS GOURMANDS EN CLAPE VIGNERONNE Dimanche 21 mai 2017
The next event, the week after the aforementioned Montpellier event, is a hike of a few kilometers and a few hours to visit the domaines scattered in the region of Massif de la Clape, just outside Narbonne. The time will be from 10am to 2pm, starting every 10 minutes.
詳細情報はこちら：LES SENTIERS GOURMANDS – Narbonne
From what I’ve seen on the website, the area seems to have a good selection of large and historic domaines. Excellent!!!
（公式サイトより：http://www.la-clape.com）
I won’t be able to visit during this event, but I’m planning to go to France this July, so I might as well stay then. It seems I can go there any time. I think I will have a good vacation. I hope you have time. By the way, I haven’t been to Narbonne yet. I’m glad to have another chance to revisit this area.
3 – VIGNES BUISSONNIÈRES EN PIC SAINT LOUP Samedi 10 et dimanche 11 juin 2017
This event is held in Pic Saint-Loup, which is also an AOC. It’s located 30km north of Montpellier. It’s in the mountains, so it may be difficult to access.
詳細情報はこちら：http://www.pic-saint-loup.com
This event will be held on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11. The price is 75 euros. Tickets will go on sale on April 20. It looks like you can buy them online from the official website.
There are over 70 different wines to taste every year. There are also more than 100 wine producers who participate. Indeed, I checked the domaine on the official website and it was very extensive. It looks very interesting too.
4 – CIRCULADE VIGNERONNE EN TERRASSES DU LARZAC Samedi 1er juillet 2017
Last but not least, here is the event. The date of the event is Saturday, July 1st. Since it is summer, the start time is from 4pm to 7:30pm.
場所ですがモンペリエから北西に30分ほど離れた場所のようです。このAOCに属するドメーヌは、Larzac渓谷というところに点在しているみたいです。なお、フランスの美しい村にも選ばれている「Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert（サン・ギエム・ル・デゼール）」はこのあたりにあります。昔ここで1泊したことがあります。とてもいい村でした。
So it looks like it’s quite a distance from Montpellier, but apparently there is a shuttle bus from Montpellier, so no worries. The bus will leave Montpellier at 15h30 and arrive at Montpellier at 23h30. It seems that a gorgeous dinner will be served. It sounds like a lot of fun.
The event will be held on July 1, so I can’t see the schedule, but if I have to visit here again, I would like to enjoy AOC wines as well as visiting beautiful villages.
The above is what was introduced on the tourism website of the Occitanie Regional District.
All of these events are held mainly after Golden Week or in June, so it may be a little difficult for Japanese people to take a vacation, but if you are interested, please visit.
The Occitanie region is full of attractions
By the way, the Occitanie region is rich not only in wine but also in tourism resources. I would like to visit this region again and again. The information introduced this time is from the website of the Occitanie Region Tourism Bureau, but the photo of Carcassonne at the top of the website is too beautiful…
何度でも行きたい。それに、ラングドックAOC巡りも面白そうです。7月の中旬にまたフランスに行く予定なので、そのときに可能ならいろいろ巡ってみてもよいかもしれませｎ。もちろん、もっとフランス語を勉強して、現地の人としっかりとコミュニケーションがとれるように頑張りたいところです。
