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History
of Cataroise
 Seal of
Trencavel
BÉZIERS,
World Capital of alcohols
Brandies from wines :
The forgotten Béziers tradition
Historical of the Biterrois Vineyard
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One admits that the "
Vitis Vinifera " vine has been existing in the south
of France since the Pliocène era ... therefore a
long time before human beings coming !
Romans, from 120 years before J.C., fitted a coastal path
at the edge of the mediterranean sea from Beaucaire to the
Perthus'collar : this path became the " Via Domitia
" nowadays called in Beziers
" Voie Domitienne " or Bessan road (that road
crosses Montimas).
Beziers city has been founded
by Iberians (Beterris) and colonized 120 years before J.C.
by Romans. From then on, the roman soldiers of the seventh
legion used to live in Beziers.
The first gallic vineyard developped
around 2 cities : Beziers and Narbonne. Big
properties were born along the " Via Domitia "
; these properties were called " villas " (many
amphoras have been found
in St Bauzille Domaine and in Montimas).
The wine was shipped from Vendres
port (which is at 5 kms from Beziers south). The main customers
were : Rome and Italy.
In 77, a viticultural crisis lead to the " 92 Decree
" that promoted the extraction of the vine in Gaul...
(it is beyond all belief !) solution that, 19 centuries
later, has not yet proved its efficiency.
In 280, Probus restored the right to plant again.
In 714-715, massive vineyard destruction by muslims. Monastic
orders recreated the vineyard.
The english domination in Aquitaine
region promoted the Bordeau vineyard. Marseille city was
rather exporting wines from Provence region and the Burgundians
were selling their wines to the Kings of France in Paris.
In a few words, the situation
was not prosperous for Beziers area.
As a consequence,
production of different kinds of new wines was then developped,
as follows :
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The
sweet wines
First of all, the MUSCAT. The
most famous, on the east side, was Frontignan, then the one
from Sauvian (6 kms from Beziers) and above all, the one produced
in Maraussan. This city
had become little by little the main production center of
the Muscats from Herault area.
One could also find Muscats from Bassan, Autignac, Puisserguier,
Cazouls etc.
They were all comercialized by the name of " Muscatelles
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The
Sweet PICARDAN or The CATAROISE De BEZIERS
Then came
the Sweet Picardan : it was made with overmatured grapes
(" crumpled ") that were muted by the " Trois-six
" alcohol (the alcohol retroceded by the government to
home distillers) and its final strength was 18 % vol.
The Sweet Picardan was the ancestor of the CATAROISE DE BEZIERS
; it was also named " Mistelle ".
The Sweet Picardan was essentially made from "
Clairette " vine for the white Picardan. It received
a Controlled Designation of Origin as Wine of Liquor (abandonned
afterwards) on the east side of Beziers city and on the north-west
side of Pezenas city and was called the " Clairette
" du Languedoc (it does still exist nowadays but as a
wine designation).
The Sweet Picardan could also be prepared from the "
Cinsault " vine that was used to be called "
black Picardan " 150 years ago. |
Brandies
The distillation took finally
place more particularly from " Terret " vine.
The brandies thus achieved could be kept for years and could
be transported even when means of transportation were expensive.
This brandy was called " the Proof of Holland
" (this name came from the holland technique of determining
the alcohol rate. Another technique consisted in classifying
the alcohols in 3/6,5/6 etc. according to the alcohol rate).
If in the 18th century, distillation
was still an occasional means to eliminate the wine overproduction,
little by little, Beziers and Pezenas cities
became the world brandy centers and the commercial demand
increasing year after year.
Every saturday, the international market for brandies was
held in Pezenas. It was there that was fixed for the whole
Europe the alcohols quotation.
Beziers, Pezenas and Agde vineyards
were scarcely no more used except for the local consumption
and for the specialized productions reported above (Muscats,
Picardan/Cataroise) and also for the supplying of brandies
(that allowed the making of these specialized productions).
Our brandies were famous abroad
(the tradition of distilling in Beziers area can still be
noticed nowadays with all the old distilleries closed since
decades in many villages).
Stills were improved by men such as Baumé in 1777,
then Chaptal in 1780 and above all in 1802 Edouard Adam.
Our brandies were so good that they were produced more and
more. Beziers and Herault vineyards were saved thanks to
that invention.
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Renunciation of Brandies on behalf
of the Wine
This alcohol production
will increase until half of the 19th century. Then came "
the Oïdium crisis " (disease due to a vine fongi).
Wines being rarer, are sold better.
The " Phylloxera crisis " (disease due to an insect
on the vine) will lead to a lack of wines and consequently
to the distilleries closing.
The alcohols from sugar-beet, less expensive and easier to
get will develop.
Beziers region renunces to its traditionnal alcohols from
wines on behalf of industrial
vermoutheries.
Sète city then became the great stocking place for
the famous french appetizers made with wines that are called
A.B.V. (apéritif à base de vin). They are obtained
from wines, sugars, aromatics, alcohol from sugar-beet. The
most famous were : St Raphaël, Cinzanno, Noilly Prat,
Dubonnet, Anthérieu, Cazalis, Byrrh etc.
Means of transportation, especially
the train and the Canal du Midi, as well as the colonization
of North Africa (as their wines were too high in alcohol,
they had to be assembled with low-alcohol wines) completed
the ruin of brandies as well as the stopping of Muscats,
Picardan and Mistelle (Cataroise).
The vine-growers will then
keep for their own consumption, these traditionnal productions
and will spread the secrets of making from mouth to ear.
Beziers city was going to lose its status of European Capital
for brandies on behalf of World Wine Capital and was going
to become one of the wealthiest cities of France.
Many years later, some bold
wine-growers in Beziers had the faith to start again the
production of the traditionnal CATAROISE and propose it
to you NOW.
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BÉZIERS:
"Craddle City of the Cataroise"
The CATAROISE is
a very old produce from Beziers that was prepared in the past-time
in a very traditionnal way in every wine-growers families.
In the beginning of the 20th century, it was usual to call
it " Picardan doux "(sweet Picardan) or " Mistelle
" and sometimes " vin de pies "(wine for magpies)
as women could taste it with cakes or chocolates in the afternoon
and men used to say that it loosened the
women tongues ( !)
It was served during every great family events (weddings,
baptism etc.) or to do honour to a guest.
It is to Herault area what Pineau is to Charente or Floc to
Gascogne, Ratafia to Burgundy or Champagne, the Pommeau to
Normandy, the Macvin to Jura.
It is a produce well ingrafted in the collective memory of
Beziers inhabitants.
Everyone has got a souvenir of a grandfather, a grandmother
or an uncle who prepared some for the great family events
to come.
It belongs to Beziers patrimony and contrarily to what a lot
of people think, Beziers in the past-time, was not a city
of wines but of alcohols.
Two centuries ago, were made in Beziers region the greatest
alcohols of the world : some of our " Fines "(brandies)
were very famous abroad as for instance " La Fine de
Faugères " and who says brandies says CATAROISE.
The CATAROISE DE BEZIERS is
prepared in a very natural way without any addition of any
produce : no sugar, no external flavour, no preservative,
no plant ... only the best fresh grape juice, on its first
step of fermentation, brandy from wine, many years (3,4,5
or more) of aging in oak vats and all the love of the wine-grower
for his produce.
The CATAROISE is prepared during
the " Vendanges " (wine harvest). You can keep
it for years : when it is 20 years old, it is still a girl
!
Traditionnaly, it is a wine
for dessert or an appetizer that must be tasted very cool
or icy. You may have it with melons (you make a hole and
pour some Cataroise in it), you may also associate it with
" foie gras " or sophisticated cooking. You finally
may taste it with cakes and chocolates.
When the bottle is opened, you can still keep it for years
as the flavour is due to the oak vat. If you let the bottle
a long time in the fridge, you may have some natural sediments
in the bottom but it will not alterate the taste.
IF YOU TRY
IT , YOU WILL LOVE IT !
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