Lou Recantou & l'Ancien Pressoir

The area

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Place your cursor over the photos to see the titles.

Maps of France and
the Languedoc-Roussillon:

Languedoc-Roussillon:

a large area of central southern France
offers most of the advantages of the better-known region of Provence
less crowded, less traffic
Mediterranean climate & vegetation
close to sea and mountains (Pyrénées and Montagne Noire)

The two southern departments of the Roussillon, the Pyrénées Orientales and the Aude, have been influenced by Spanish language and customs, in the same way that Italian culture has influenced eastern Provence.

The Minervois is:

a small but geographically diverse area within the much larger region of the Languedoc-Roussillon
shared between the departments of the Hérault and the Aude
a region extending from the southern slopes of Montagne Noire (at the southern edge of the Massif Central) to Canal du Midi.
named for the historic village of Minerve
a terroir prized for its full-bodied red wine
an area whose commercial centre is Olonzac (pronounced "oh-lohn-ZACK")
a region excelling year-round in:

on-road cycling
off-road cycling
walking
bird-watching
We can suggest the best places for these activities - and others.

The above map was taken from the website for the grapegrowers' association, Terroir Minervois
Click here for the English version.

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THE VILLAGE
Oupia is:

pronounced "oop-YAH"
3 km. (2 mi.) east of Olonzac (just below "Z" on map above)
28 km. (17 mi.) nw of Narbonne
34 km. (21 mi.) e of old cité of Carcassonne
a quiet, friendly village of about 280 people
surrounded by vineyards
Oupia has:

a small but well-supplied grocery store
a post office
a restaurant
the 12th century Château d'Oupia:

run by the Iché family
has won many gold medals in Paris over the years
known particularly for its red Minervois, Les Barons
offers a full range of wines, including white, rosé, several reds and a very special late harvest white.
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OLONZAC

less than five minutes away by car (or 10 minutes by bicycle!)
a larger village with full services:

three doctors
two dentists
two pharmacies (pharmacists in France can give very helpful advice)
a full-service post office
two banks
three bakeries
a traiteur (somewhat along the lines of a deli)
two general grocery stores and a supermarket
a great weekly market
a very good shoemaker/repairer (also copies keys, etc.)
a florist
an optician
a hardware store
a building store
a garden supply store
three garages (Peugeot, Citroën and Renault)
a news agent
a small book store
an aesthetician
several hairdressers and a barber (coiffeur)
four cafés
two restaurants, two pizzerias and a café/snack bar at the nearby Lac de Jouarres
many more good restaurants within a few minutes' drive
a co-operative producing and selling local wine

TWO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AREA

The village of Minerve and the Canal du Midi are both ten minutes away by car (and easily accessible by bicycle).

The Montagne Noire is 20 minutes away by car and Mediterranean beaches 35-40 minutes. Excellent day excursions include the Pyrénées, Cathar castles, the National Park of the Upper Languedoc and north-eastern Spain as well as the cities of Carcassonne, Narbonne, Béziers Montpellier and Toulouse and the Abbeys of Fontfroide and Lagrasse.

More photographs of the area

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MAPS OF THE AREA
Detailed maps: Michelin map website

Type 34210 Oupia in the line labelled Town, City, Postcode...
Click on the arrow beside Europe, scroll down and click on France
Click Search
To zoom in, click on the + at the upper right of the map screen
To zoom out, click on the - at the upper right of the map screen
This is what you should see: map of Oupia area

Thanks to guest Rick Steele and his GPS monitor, we have the co-ordinates for Lou Recantou:

Latitude: North 43° 17' 32.1''
Longitude: East 002° 46' 02.5''
Elevation: 101 metres (accurate to within 5 metres)

(By the way, Rick was told several years ago that he couldn't take his monitor in the cabin with him on the return flight. As his baggage had already been checked through, he ended up giving it away to an airport employee. If you're planning to bring slightly unusual equipment, be sure to pack it in the bags to be checked.)

Rick owns Gold Country Cyclery, a bike store in Sacramento, California, specializing in tandem and recumbent bicycles. You can visit his website at: http://www.tandems-recumbents.com

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