>>> Aquitaine
|
|
Journey Across France, Spain and Portugal:LuberonThe weather is against us. Dismal, with black clouds everywhere. A charmingly named village of Lucy le Bois, but not very much else to brighten the day. We arrive in Luberon in an avalanche of rain, which turns into a storm, with a couple of hours of lightning and rumbling thunder. The gods are obviously in a very bad temper.We can hardly see out of the car. The rain is coming down in great footprints on the screen, and the windows are steaming up. I have to have the heater on to get the blower to clear the screen, and it is unbearably hot in the car.  We turn off the A7 motorway after Avignon, and drive along a very poor road to Cadenet. Then wriggle around, and end up at Lourmarin We give up in a wet valley under dripping trees in a Thai restuarant-cum-hotel, and have a short meal of fried bananas in syrup, and have an early night. How the heck we are going to pick grapes in this I dont know. * * * * *
A brief burst of sunshine at dawn and then the black clouds rolled over, and the thunder started rumbling again. The weather is just too bad to do any grape picking. If we pick grapes they will be covered in drops of water and that will dilute the juices going into the vat, and that wont do at all. So it is off to the local chateau for a bit of culture. We are in the small village of Lourmarin in the Luberon, which is a medieval village and a no-go area for cars. It isn't exactly a bastide, but it does have some interesting buildings. Apparently the original chateau was built way back in the twelfth century, and added to in the fifteenth. It looks a bit boring on the outside, but has an interesting history. It was built for a nobleman's mistress. Apparently even in the middle ages the girls went for the house first and foremost. There is a medieval section and a renaissance section. The former has an interestingly structured staircase built round a double helix. The doorways and windows also have a rather sweet styling, like a { at the top (but of course the { is on its side). The newer section has lovely panelled wooden ceilings, and heavy pine beams. One room contains a small collection of ancient instruments, including a spinet and some old japanese and chinese instruments.  Just across the way is a protestant chapel. This gave rise to an interesting lecture from our charming guide about the early protestant rumblings against the established church in Italy in the twelfth century. Apparently there was a group of folk who believed in christ's preachings, but took umbrage at the commercialism of the church, and the selling of indulgences, and other corrupt practices. As this attitude was a direct criticism of the church hierarchy, and called into question the authority, and therefore the power, of the bishops and the papacy, such beliefs were outlawed, and the group (called the Valgentians) was excommunicated, and persecuted. As a result of their persecution they moved across into France. Of course, those of you who know your history will be quick to point out that Provence was already part of Italy in the middle ages. They built churches (the French call them temples), and there are many of them to be seen across France today. All of this was long before the Reformation, and Martin Luther.  Lunch was in the marquee by the swimming pool back at the vineyard: some splendid local pâté, with a cold buffet and an endless stream of local wine.  You can join in these celebrations if you wish. There is a company called WineShare. It was started about 25 years ago by Andrew Gordon and Ivor Samuels. I was invited to become a founder member, and the inaugural meeting was in the RAC club in Pall Mall. I'll skip a description of that occasion for the time being, mainly because I never made it up the main staircase due to some unpleasantness concerning a certain dress code which led to me being ejected from the club, and Ivor visiting me later in the week in Ealing with a couple of bottles of rather nice wine.  Naturally I joined, and have been drinking the wine from the first vineyard in the group ever since. The company runs dinners, tastings, vendage celebrations, and a whole host of annual events. There are also now several associate vineyards, including one in Italy which makes splendid wines which keep on winning awards. >>> Aquitaine
Back to the Top |
© The Property Organisation 2009