Quatourze wine: an antique tradition ready to conquer China
© Gallimard Loisirs/Th. Vallier
In the midst of an ocean of wine, Narbonne is surrounded by three quality classified wine areas (Corbières, Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape and Quatourze).
Between the wilderness of the Massif de la Clape and the serenity of the Bages-Sigean lagoon, a rusty coloured outcrop rises up along the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. On this rough terrain you will find a small 550 hectare domain, where the vines dig their roots deep into history.It is surely one of the most ancient vineyards of France and of the Languedoc region, planted by the Romans 2,000 years ago.
The city of Narbonne owns 7.5 hectares of this land, where Narbo 118 is produced. This is a vintage with humanitarian goals: profits go to finance the construction of water towers in Burkina Faso. Narbo, for the original name of the city, and 118 for the date it was founded, in the 2nd century A.D.
You can taste it at the Horreum, the principal Gallo-Roman remains in Narbonne. Drinking Quartouze is like tasting memory. In this case, we’re talking about living memory. The vineyards of the Notre-Dame-du-Quartouze castle belonged to the archbishops of Narbonne until the end of the 19th century. The present owner, vintner Georges Ortola, is determined to conquer China, and has invested in a bottling factory right in the heart of the Celestial Empire. Grenache, Cinsalt and Mourvèdre grapes for the red wines; Maccabeu, Vermentino and Viognier for the whites. They can be tasted on the spot!
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George Ortola
SCEA des domaines G.Ortola - Notre-Dame du Quatourze
11100 Narbonne
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Topic : Gastronomy and accomodation
Published on : 2008/09/11
Tags : quatourze wine an antique tradition ready to conquer china
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