WINE ROUTE BETWEEN SEA AND PONDS

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Incredible, an architectural heritage where medieval meets contemporary! Among the finest examples of Gothic art in Biterrois, dating from the 12th and 14th centuries: Here is the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame de Grâce! Here are the facades of winemakers’ houses next to the “la Cigalière” performance hall designed by architect Nicolas Guillot. An interesting hall for its glass backdrop. The forecourt and the public park located at the back were designed and lit by the famous Daniel Buren, based on a concept of radiant columns. And “the must” remains the Regional Museum of Contemporary Art Occitanie, which presents artworks by artists from the 1960s to today. Guided tours are regular there. It is an essential artistic and tourist spot. It covers 3,200 m² with temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection, asserts strong artistic choices, supports both French and international artists, and invents new forms of art mediation. It is installed in a former wine cellar. Did I say the vineyard had stories to tell! The exhibition rooms offer large volumes bathed in natural light. Friendly and bright atmosphere! Daniel Buren again, with the work “Rotation” that encloses the entire museum by applying colors on all the glazed parts, thus creating visual effects inside and outside the museum. Other artworks can be admired both outside and inside. Antique and mysterious ruins between history and legends... Taste break? Take advantage, stop by the Sérignan cooperative cellar created in 1935! If possible, follow the guided tours in this authentic production site. The best to learn all about the different processes, from vine to glass, watching the film “The Secrets of Wine,” followed by a tasting initiation. You can choose one of the surrounding estates, like Domaine de Querelle at the Domaine de Querelle place, where you will taste the winemakers’ know-how. The “Soumestre,” for example, (the Occitan name for layering), a local promise, Occitan revival as well as hillside wines with the fruity roundness of the AOP Coteaux du Languedoc. These unique flavor experiences should be enjoyed in moderation!

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In Valras-Plage, on the left bank, the fragile environment rich in fauna and flora is protected. In front of the dune cordon, the highest in the French Mediterranean, the beach remains wild. The seaside promenade of this family resort invites to relaxation and the “Dolce Vita.” Children here are particularly pampered. The town offers quality events all year round. Market days bring flavors, smells, and the accents of the Midi inviting you to taste local products! Also worth seeing is the Palais de la Maquette, with its gigantic Lego scenes recognized by the Guinness Book of Records (reservation recommended). From Sérignan to Valras-Plage left bank: You will discover the natural site and the Domaine des Orpellières, invested by the artist Dado (1933-2010). Acquired by the Conservatoire du Littoral in 1980, the site extends over 150 hectares. A narrow land strip where nature has given everything: beach, dunes, vast salt marshes and salt meadows follow each other or interlock in a mosaic. The old buildings evoke a wine-producing past, but glasswort has gradually replaced vine cultivation behind the dune cordon. The Orpellières, up to the Grande Maïre (a pond formed in the old estuary of the Orb), form a beautiful preserved area. It remained for a long time a territory of fishermen and vineyards. Today, it is one of the region's biological and scenic treasures. You are welcome on foot, by mountain bike or pony on the trails… However, please respect these fragile places, with their precarious balance!

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Hérault, a land full of vines, offers many wine-tourism options… everyone knows! But also for all tastes. Domaine la Yole, for example, both an estate and a campsite, sounds tempting? The estate’s name comes from the meeting of boatbuilding, with the yole being a small sailing boat, and vine work: The estate’s history goes back to 1771: the cellars shown on the Napoleonic cadastre were at the crossroads of three main roads lined with pine trees. Vendres is also the southern village as one imagines it! Sloping alleys, a high church, a peaceful fountain, benches under the plane trees… From the Place du Portail Viel, a superb panorama opens onto the nearby pond! Discover it on foot, overlooking it, then walking along to the coast. The pond, a real little Camargue, is one of the richest floral environments. Worth seeing, the “Villa Temple of Venus,” which offers mysterious ruins between history and legends… Not far from there, the shellfish port, Chichoulet (named after the little bird nesting on the lands), is part of the Natura 2000 network. It harmoniously combines pleasure boating and fishing and shellfish farming activities. Fancy some flavors? You are in the ideal place to taste oysters and mussels raised offshore, this is the address. You have to stroll from kiosk to kiosk… They are not restaurants but offer producers the possibility to sell takeaway or consume on site; you can even compose your own trays, with superb local wines very reasonably priced... Highly recommended. On the route, you can’t miss these winemakers’ huts! They are called “les mazets,” scattered all over Hérault. They reflect the identity of our vineyards. Built by the winemaker himself, they were designed for shade and to store equipment; sometimes they also served as second homes. During harvest time, lunch was taken around them. The special feature here? They have been updated by the artistic agency “AT DOWN” and contemporary artists ZEST and Vania. What a great idea to enhance the urban landscape and tell you the traditions! Look closely, and you will admire; the sea, the vine, rugby and more… open your eyes!

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Béziers Méditerranée Tourist Office

Vineyards and Discoveries