Countryside and climate in the Aude and Ariège
The countryside in the Aude and the Ariège varies enormously within even a comparatively short distance. The following is a very basic overview.
Montagne Noire
To the north-east of Carcassonne lie the Black Mountains (la Montagne Noire). The countryside here is green and lush and the climate reflects this in that it is generally not too hot in the summer but quite cold and wet in the winter.
Minervois
The area to the north-east of Carcassonne is the Minervois: a flatter wine-growing area through which the Canal du Midi runs. This was completed in 1681 to encourage trade in the Languedoc and established a vital link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Some villages in the Minervois have views right across to the Pyrenees. Winters here are milder and summers hot.
Corbières
South-east are the Corbières: another well-known wine-growing area but more mountainous and wild. There are fewer roads and much of the land is scrubland (garrigue). The countryside is beautiful and is home to a number of craggy Cathar castles, situated high on peaks, originally to be unassailable but now providing stunning views. The climate here tends to be hot and arid in the summer, though often with a cooling wind, and quite cold and windy in the winter.
Razès
South-west is an area called the Razès, leading out towards the Ariège from Limoux and Carcassonne and famous for its Malepère wines. This is characterized by circular, hill-top villages (known as circulades) most of which have breath-taking views of the Pyrenees, seemingly in the next field on very clear days. January and February can be very cold here but the other seasons last longer and summers, although hot, are always accompanied by a cooling wind.
Ariège
Further east and south into the Ariège, France‘s smallest department and to some extent still undiscovered, the vines change to arable farming land as the countryside becomes greener. The Ariège remains unspoilt and has maintained its identity and traditions to the present day.
