Nîmes
For anyone worried about the decline of Western civilisation, the French town of Nîmes is very evocative.
Nîmes is located in southern France and is dubbed the most Roman city outside Italy. It has a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire when the city had a population of 50,000–60,000 and was the regional capital. But today, Nimes is a pleasant though unremarkable city of 150,000.
Ancient Rome left Nimes two of the world’s greatest pieces of Roman architecture, Arena of Nîmes, and Maison Carrée.
The Arena of Nîmes is a Roman amphitheatre, built around 100 AD, shortly after the Colosseum of Rome. It is one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. In Roman times, the building could hold 24,000 spectators, and saw gladiators battling each other and wild animals. These days, the Arena of Nîmes is the site of two annual bullfights during the Feria de Nîmes. My visit coincided with the Feria which meant that I could not enter the Arena.
The Maison carrée (French for “square house”) is one of the best-preserved Roman temples to survive in the territory of the former Roman Empire.
Would the residents of today’s NImes be concerned that their town is greatly diminished from Roman times?
I think not. According to my taxi driver, Nimes is a working class town that voted for the far left candidate in the last presidential elections. Four of the last mayoral administrations have been communist.
I asked my driver what communism means in modern France. Does it resemble Chinese or Soviet communism? He had no meaningful answer. I am still unsure as to what French communism means. In any event, historical decline would not seem to be on the minds of the residents of Nimes.
I took the opportunity to visit one winery, Château de Nages, which makes wines under the appellation of Costières de Nîmes. Michel Gassier, owner, winemaker and harvester, grew up among the family vineyards located in Caissargues, near Nîmes, on a magnificent terroir cultivated using organic and regenerative agriculture. Château de Nages has been a family estate for 5 generations.
I tasted 5 wines, red and white. The grape varieties employed are Carignan, Clairette, Colombard, Grenache, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, and Syrah. They were all quite pleasant drinkable wines. As I have previously written, there have been great efforts to improve wine quality in southern France.
There was one red wine that I appreciated in particular — Michel Gassier Lou Coucardié Rouge 2015. This is a bold, fruity and well balanced wine made from Mourvèdre (50 percent), Grenache (35 percent) and Syrah (15 percent). But beware, this wine has 15 percent alcohol!