Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Towns & cities · Tarn
Gaillac
The third town of the Tarn after Albi and Castres, Gaillac owes its fame to its vineyard, one of the oldest in France, cultivated since Roman times, whose white, red and slightly sparkling wines can still be tasted in the town's many wine houses.
The Place du Griffoul, with its covered market hall and half-timbered house flanked by a round brick tower, forms the picturesque heart of the town, which grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the 7th century. The banks of the Tarn, with the old river port from which gabares loaded with wine once set off for Bordeaux, complete a heritage both wine-related and riverine, now showcased by many winegrowers' houses open to visitors.
