Kick-off of the nine meetings of the Estivales de Thau this Thursday, July 4, in Balaruc-le-Vieux

Les rendez-vous de l’été sur le bassin de Thau. Midi Libre – Antoine Llop

Les Estivales de Thau proposent neuf rendez-vous gastronomiques tous les jeudis, jusqu’à la fin de l’été. Coup d’envoi dès ce jeudi 4 juillet, à Balaruc-le-Vieux.

Summer events on the Thau basin, the return. Act X. And nine events to mark on your calendars, the first starting this Thursday, July 4, in Balaruc-le-Vieux.

Highly anticipated, these summer gastronomic and wine tourism events have continued to grow since their creation. Depending on the location and the weather, they attract between 1,000 and 3,000 people, with the events in Sète, Mèze and Bouzigues traditionally generating the largest crowds.

A success perhaps even more marked around the Thau basin where the promotion of local products constituted the roadmap from the launch of the concept. "We are a little of the histories of these Estivales, recalls Michel Garcia, vice-president of Sète Agglopôle, delegate for agricultural and wine-growing activities. Here, the idea is really to ensure the link between the wines from here and the culinary specialties of the territory, in particular what comes from the sea, the recipes based of fish…"

Around fifty exhibitors of good drinking and eating well

In all, around fifty exhibitors will take turns from Balaruc-le-Vieux to Poussan on August 29. The spectrum of all that the territory has in terms of wine appellations will be offered to visitors. The divine nectars (Muscats, Picpouls, Grés-de-Montpellier, Côtes-de-Thau, Collines-de-la-Mourre, Pays d’oc…) will accompany foods this year more focused on the sea. products from the fishermen's workshop (Balaruc-les-Bains), line-caught bluefin tuna and products from the Julie Février cannery (Sète), fishing products (depending on availability) from the  fisherman Brice Manca (Sète) will be invited, among others, to these nine traveling meetings. "These Estivales are the trademark of all our gastronomic wealth. And they connect good eating and good drinking in our territory,” underlines Michel Garcia.

This year, we will note the return of the Gigean meeting (August 22), absent from the calendar since 2019. Other new features: the concretization of the partnership with the Pays d’Oc wine union, which will offer apprenticeships at the tasting and a raffle with weekends to be won, as well as the implementation of the SAM’Pass card, which grants some advantages to its owners.

How does it work

As of this Thursday evening on the Esplanade Marcel-Pradel in Balaruc-le-Vieux and for all summer evenings, two choices are possible: either; purchase of 3 wine tasting tickets (6 euros), or the purchase of 1 ticket (2.50 euros). A glass is offered with the purchase of a tasting package. The SAM’Pass card offers a reduction (5 € for 3 tastings, 2 € per tasting) as well as a faster dedicated queue for access the ticket sales stand. Food can be purchased directly from the producers' stands (credit card accepted).

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