The grapevines

From the Middle Ages to the 1960s or 70s, grapevines prospered on the hillsides and in the valleys of Lozère, and especially in the Gorges du Tarn. Urban V, the famous Pope, only drank wines from his native Lozère. Much later, Dr Guyot sang the praises of Lozère's terroirs, providing advice on the quality of each grape variety... Each family had its square of vines and small wine cellar, and cultivated the steep terraces with much courage and determination. The wine they produced was for family consumption, but it was also used as a currency for trading with the livestock farmers of the Causses plateaux. The wine represented both wealth and an entire economy. Sadly, rural flight and the strenuousness of the work got the better of this crop. The establishment of the Domaine de Gabalie in 2003 and the Domaine des Cabridelles in 2006 has revitalised wine-making in the Lozère.