Following the Wine Trail Home

I live in the center of the largest wine producing region in the world – more wine is produced in Languedoc each year than in the whole of the United States.

Today I found this fact very useful. Every evening I try to get out on the bike and cycle to the hills just outside our village, Carole follows a bit later with the dogs and we then walk in the garrige (the maquis, the shrubby woodlands surrouding the vineyards) and I then cycle home – this is doctor’s orders, I have to lose ten kilo by Christmas, when I expect I shall put it on again.

The nights are drawing in and tonight on the way home it was too dark to se the road clearly and there are fierce ditches alongside some of the old country roads. But the wine harvest came to my rescue, all this month the region is a hive of industry with tractors, vendanger machines and trailers full of grapes and juices hauling the harvest to the winerys. The loaded trailers full of mushy grapes leak tons of juice onto the road leaving a slick trail of grape juice slap bang in the middle which glistens in the gloaming – so by following the thread of glowing wine I could get home safely and celebrate by drinking a couple of glasses of (local) wine in thanks of a safe return.