Gaillac, the quiet capital of the Tarn.
Pink brick, vineyards at sunset, an abbey on the banks of the Tarn. Twenty kilometres around a town that never rushes. Here is our notebook.
One hour from Toulouse, a thousand years of patience.
The Gaillac area doesn't make noise. That is its finest quality. Between Albi and Toulouse, around a pink-brick bastide town that catches the light like nowhere else, lies one of Europe's oldest vineyards — planted by the Romans, revived by Benedictine monks, still tended today by a handful of stubborn winemakers.
Where to start.
Seven grape varieties you won't find anywhere else
Braucol, Duras, Mauzac, Loin-de-l'oeil, Prunelart, Ondenc, Verdanel. A language apart.
Cordes-sur-Ciel, 25 minutes away.
The hilltop bastide in the mist of the Cérou valley. A detour that's a must.
Sleep in a wine château.
Four estates welcome a handful of travellers. Here's which ones.
July's night markets.
Every Friday, Place de la Libération, until midnight.
Three days without a car.
A cycling route between Gaillac, Lisle-sur-Tarn and Rabastens.
The Grésigne forest, 3,600 hectares of silence
Oak massif north of the vineyard — the largest oak forest in Occitanie.
« We wanted a guide that resembles the Gaillac region: slow, generous, a little stubborn. Not a brochure. A notebook you lend to a friend. »
This month in Gaillac.
Five events we'd keep on the calendar — hand-picked, not algorithm-sorted.