The Cahuzac vineyard trail

This eight-kilometre trail loops around the slopes of Cahuzac-sur-Vère, in the heart of the Gaillac vineyard. It is waymarked in yellow and easy enough for families — only the climb to the ridge takes a little breath.

You walk between the rows of vines for the first hour; right from the start, the trail passes the Domaine Plageoles, guardian of the Gaillacois’s ancestral grape varieties, where a tasting stop is possible. In spring, the clay soils are carpeted with wildflowers; in autumn, the Duras and Braucol leaves turn copper and crimson.

The high point opens a wide panorama over the Tarn valley. On a clear day, you can make out the Pyrenees to the south. The descent crosses a wood of downy oaks where wild orchids grow in April and May.

Bring water and a hat in summer: the slopes face due south and there is no shade among the vines.