out of the ordinary Discover the little (and big) secrets of Narbonne
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Changing wine to water for Africa |
| The city of Narbonne, owner of 7,5 hectares of vines on the Quatourze, has recently created a new wine. The wine is sold for the benefit of water tower construction in Burkina Faso. |
Think global, act local. QED. Narbonne’s wine culture stretches back over two thousand years. The ingredients and skills needed to produce a municipal beverage of excellence which also provides international aid are all available locally. The operation provides a showcase of winegrowing know-how in Languedoc.
The wine is a blend of four grape varieties: Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Fermented and vinified in the cellars of the Cave Coopérative des vignerons d’Ambrosia, the wine is stored in new oak casks produced by the Boutes Cooperage who have been making barrels for generations. The Roman Horreum, with its perfectly stable level of humidity, was the ideal place to store the wine. All that was needed then was a name: Rusticus 446, after the first archbishop of Narbonne, appointed in 446, was an early suggestion. Then, a spark of inspiration…
Narbo, was the original name of what became the first Roman colony, founded in 118 A.D. It means “ watering place ”. Eureka! And so, Narbo 118 was born. According to its godfather, wine-waiter Jacques Orthon, the wine has “ notes of ripe dark fruit, vanilla and liquorice … very fresh and elegant … ” Elegant, and generous to boot.
