This is Fitou !!!

Posted in Europe, Food and Wine, France

The village of Fitou is located in the Aude department no 11 , in the Occitanie region of my belle France. It is a rural and coastal village with 1,147 inhabitants in 2022. The village is 183 km from Toulouse,135 km from Castres, 34 km from Perpignan, 812 km from Versailles, and 908 km from my current home I have not been here but post in my blog is a must, A memorable name in its wine as it was the favorite wine of my dear late wife Martine’s grandma Fourré and each time came into her house she had a bottle for me ! I still buy it and drink it for the memories of always, Therefore, this is a post and a hommage to the grandma who always told me was her favorite ! Here is my take on this is Fitou !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

Fitou is a red wine with a controlled designation of origin AOC produced in a small part south of the Corbières massif, in the Aude from the beginning of the 16C. Vine growing had become more profitable than cereals, and the hillsides and terraces became insufficient. From 1520, the vineyards moved back down to the plains. During WWII, three-quarters of the vineyards had disappeared. It was not until the liberation that winegrowers, thanks to their “Defense Committee”, were able to apply for the designation of origin. The designation was recognized by the INAO by a decree dated April 24, 1948 for red wine only. It is the oldest in Languedoc. In 2008, the surface area was stable at 2665 ha, as was the production 90,023 hectolitres. The geographical area of ​​production includes the territory of the following villages: Cascastel-des-Corbières, Villeneuve-les-Corbières, Paziols, Tuchan, Caves, Fitou, La Palme, Leucate and Treilles. It is based on black grape varieties : Carignan N (30%), Grenache N, Syrah N and Mourvèdre N. Until 2008, secondary grape varieties were Cinsault N and Lledoner Pelut N. Production is carried out by 354 winegrowers, while vinification is carried out by 40 winemakers, including thirty-three private wineries, six cooperative wineries and one merchant. In Fitou, discover a rich rural territory where each stone tells you stories big and small.

My latest tastings of Fitou : Les Maîtres vignerons de cascastel coop , Château chasse privé cuvée des cerf, vignerons de Mont Tauch coop vignes centenaires, and Château de Ségure Prieure de Ségure.

Other things to see here, me think are the Church of Saint-Julien-et-Sainte-Basilisse.. Chapel of Saint-Aubin. The remains of the old chapel Castle, Covering approximately 1,000 m2, the castle is located on a site overlooking the village of Fitou, the ponds of Leucate and the sea. The date of construction of the castle is not known; a Roman villa may have preceded it.

A bit of history I like tell us that during the Roman era, many buildings were erected on the Via Domitia, which ran from Spain to Italy, depending on the location of water sources. Due to its position near the border between Spain and France, the village was exposed to invasions several times. In 1246, after the Albigensian Crusade, the region was annexed to the French royal domain. From 1262 onwards, its castles became strategic surveillance and defense points between southern Languedoc and Aragon (Spain). One of the last acts of war relates that on May 19, 1635, Cardinal Richelieu declared war on Spain. 27 months later, the Spanish advanced on Fitou in two columns. Les Cabannes de Fitou, the village and the castle, despite its walls, capitulated at the first assaults. The Aragon family was the last lordship to occupy the castle until the French revolution of 1789. The castle was looted and burned in 1843. Having become a discotheque and then a museum, it was sold in 2015 and can no longer be visited.

The village of Fitou on its history : http://www.fitou.fr/historique/

The official wines of Fitou : https://www.fitouaoc.com/deguster/#domaines

The Aude dept 11 tourist office on its vineyards see Fitou : https://www.audetourisme.com/en/see-and-do/not-to-be-missed/vineyards-of-aude/

There you go folks, another wonderful village of my belle France. The Fitou wines and its many other attributes are dear to my family, and we have drank it quite a bit over the years, even from before settling in France , A village that is on my list , to visit, eventually, Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Fitou !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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