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As far back as you go in the history
of our region, the vine has always been part of the landscape.
It was the Phoenicians who had the privilege of introducing
the very first grape varieties into Gaul when the town of
Narbonne was founded. The Greeks were the first to create the wine market,
and they kept a monopoly on this trade for 6 centuries with
genuine distribution centres spread as far as
Northern Gaul. In the first century AD,
this dominant position was deemed contrary to the interests of
wine traders from the Roman Empire, to the extent that certain
historians affirm that these traders were among the first instigators of
the Roman conquest of Gaul.
When Christianism spread through the Roman Empire, wine took on
even greater importance; along with bread, it was the
indispensable element in communion. In the High Middle
Ages, the faith of the bishops and monks led them to show great
courage and skill in clearing forestland and planting
vines on the best parcels of land - most of which
are still home to magnificent vineyards
(Abbeys of Lagrasse and Fonfroide.)
A century later, this highly symbolic, precious nectar
was used to baptise the future King Henry IV.
Established as one of the supreme values of the nation,
wine, the vinification techniques of which were slowly being mastered,
was henceforth present at all festivities and major
ceremonies.
At the time of the Revolution, the grands crus were officially listed as
assets of the nation. A symbol of French genius, wine was to mark
all the most glorious pages of modern history. There are many anecdotes attesting
to this, such as the story of Colonel Bisson ordering his troops to present arms
to a famous wine.
This precious product was definitively preserved circa 1850 by the great scientist Louis Pasteur, who
worked on fermentation techniques
and developed a method for conserving
fermentable liquids.
In 1864, a tiny aphid, the phylloxera, descended on French vines and
wiped out virtually all vineyards in a matter of years. Several decades
of effort were needed to develop a system for grafting an American rootstock
in order to rebuild the vineyards.
In 1935, the Minister of Agriculture Joseph Capus set up the Comité
National des Appellations d'Origine, which in 1947 became the Institut National
des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) - the French Institute of Designations of Origin.
An inter-professional body, the INAO ensures that production standards
are enforced. France now makes the greatest
diversity of wines with an extraordinary range
of flavours.
Set in one of France's most beautiful regions, the vineyards of the
Corbières bear testimony to a civilisation founded on
an art de vivre recognised all over
the world.
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