| During the height of the Roman Empire, from the 1st | | | | marshes called the Camargue. The marsh is |
| century BC to 1st century AD, its territories | | | | surrounded by channels of fresh water that form a |
| extended through out southern France, most notably | | | | natural environment that is home to pink flamingoes |
| in the Gard Department. Engineering marvels, that | | | | and wild horses. Aigues Mortes is an ancient village in |
| helped extend Roman control over the southern | | | | the Petite Camargue surrounded by medieval walls |
| border of France and the Mediterranean, are now in | | | | built during the 1200's. During the first week in |
| ruins and scattered across the landscape in the Gard | | | | October, in preparation for the running of the bulls, |
| department. One of the most majestic and notable | | | | the village gets loud. Rock bands play in the center |
| Roman structures is the Pont du Gard, an aqueduct | | | | downtown waiting for the release of the bulls inside |
| that channeled water from the Eure River near Uzes, | | | | the city walls. The town is also the setting for "The |
| across the Gardon River down to the south and the | | | | Garden of Eden" written by Ernest Hemingway. |
| town of Nimes. | | | | Gard department has two regions of wine; the |
| Today, the Pont du Gard sits majestically stretched | | | | Costeries de Nimes and Vin de Pays des Sable du |
| over the Gardon River, like a beautiful piece of | | | | Golfe du Lion. The prevalent wine of both of these |
| sculpture. It is surrounded by a natural environment, | | | | regions is a rose wine. The rose wines seem to |
| forests on either side, the river flowing beneath its | | | | flourish in the hot humid climate and the sandy soils |
| limestone arches and the sun turning the aqueduct | | | | that is typical of the Camargue, a salt marsh area |
| into a beautiful warm ochre color. Three tiers of | | | | south of Nimes and Uzes, that runs parallel to the |
| arches create one of the tallest pieces of Roman | | | | Mediterranean coast. |
| architecture in France and the slight angle that has | | | | The major independent wine producer in this area is |
| been created to provide momentum to the water, | | | | Listel. Established in 1883, they were one of the few |
| give the bridge a lopsided appearance. Ancient olive | | | | vineyards that survived the Phylloxera fungus that |
| trees, hundreds of years old, are entrenched near | | | | decimated France in the late 1800's. It was the eco |
| the foot of the perfectly engineered arches that | | | | climate of the Camargue and the periodic flooding of |
| form the centuries old bridge. The white pebble | | | | salt marshes that prevented the fungus from being |
| riverbed cuts a wide path through the rugged forest | | | | established on the Listel vines. Today Listel produces |
| weaving like a snake down to the villages below, | | | | 80% of the Rose wines from the Camargue on their |
| allowing the passage of its precious cargo, water. | | | | 5,000 acre domain and is very proud that their vines |
| Closer towards the Mediterranean, the Gard | | | | do not have any American rootstock. |
| department meets the ocean in a series of coastal | | | | |