In the far southwest of France, close to the Pyrenees and the Spanish border, is the town of Carcassonne. This looks like an independent part of the Disney empire, with its magnificently restored 12th-century castle, complete with floodlit turrets, walls and moats.
Sit in the town square under this formidable redoubt, sipping a local Toques et Clochers wine, and you can almost imagine life in the Middle Ages. That meant war, pestilence, famine, invasion, conquest and religious slaughter; I will stick to the late 20th century.
Big red wines were being made here when masons were still hauling huge slabs of rock up the cliff to build the castle. They still are.
Two Toques et Clochers labels are currently the wines of the month at ParknShop.
Both the merlot and cabernet sauvignon are selling for $55, a discount of $14 on the normal price, so grab them while you can.
These are good examples of the new types of wines being grown in the lovely southwest of France.
