Toulouse is not a winemaking city. It’s the center of France’s aerospace industry, with the headquarters of Airbus there. But it is surrounded by regions that do make wine, albeit not the most famous in France. There’s Gaillac to the north, Madiran to the south and Minervoix, the best known, to the east. It also has history and architecture and food, which makes it well worth visiting when you’re travelling for wine tasting.
The Romans called it Tolosa, and when the city of Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in 410 A.D., the Romans gave the invaders the southwest of France to get them to leave their city. Toulouse was their capital as it was 800 years later for a large population of pre-Reformation heretics known as the Cathars. These people were wiped out but the echoes of Catharism are still felt throughout the region.
Toulouse’s Capitole at night.
The current-day toulousains are justly proud of their history, but are more involved in 21st century living than in the past. For the visitor, it is preferable to sit in their main square, the Place du Capitole, dominated on one side by a building that is part city hall and part opera house. The other side of the square is lined with cafes, under broad umbrellas. There you can sit and eat the local sausages, which are the envy of the rest of France, along with a bottle of local wine.
Grand buildings along the Garonne river.
Then take a stroll along the banks of the River Garonne, which starts in the Pyrenees and ends up in Bordeaux (you may have heard of their wines) before debouching into the Atlantic. There are numerous grand buildings once erected by the elites, mostly in the 19th century. Not far is what little is left of old Toulouse, since much of the city was destroyed in the many wars that beset the region.
The Canal du Midi begins in Toulouse and connects it with the Mediterranean. Once a commercial waterway, the canal today is mostly navigated by tourists who get aboard the boats called péniches and visit the many picturesque villages along its banks. If you don’t want an extended trip, you can take a tour that just goes around Toulouse’s part of the canal for a few hours or, as we did, take a day trip about 20 km. away and back.
You cannot visit Toulouse without indulging in its greatest contribution to French gastronomy: cassoulet. Now the city’s claim to this dish is disputed by the people of the town of Castelnaudry along the canal to the east and the Gascons further north. This hearty combination of white beans, confit de canard (duck) and the aforementioned Toulouse sausages has become available in many North American restaurants, but we can assure you that the real thing in the real place can’t be beat.
Power Tasting doesn’t usually get into restaurant reviews, but we have to tell you that we found that Restaurant Emil serves the best cassoulet in town. Even more, you can buy a large can of it there, enough for dinner for two, put it in your suitcase and have it when the cold winds blow back at home.