On sale in the buckets above are vine stems. If you enlarge the image, you may be able to read at least one label, as they are sold by variety, e.g. merlot, chardonnay, syrah, etc.
As you can see, it was a hazy, cloudy day with occasional sunshine, instead of the usual clear, sparkling light we're more accustomed to.
Pezenas is only about 10 minutes by car from Roujan, so I go most Saturday mornings. It's a great place to bump into friends, buy lots of delicious local produce and the occasional piece of clothing - a pair of summer trousers for 8E, for instance. Last Saturday I was pretty restrained and simply got some french beans, organic potatoes, vine tomatoes, a fennel head and a special grain loaf. Usually, though, I'd also buy some of the local cheeses such as Lacaune, Comte and goat's cheese.
By the way, last Saturday was the first time in a couple of months that the Roujan goats' cheese producer, who sells under the trade name Le Chalet, was there with his stall. In late December and during January, while the nanny goats are having kids and feeding them, cheese isn't made. I particularly like the small, soft, white cheeses that are only a couple of days old. Other people prefer the solid, yellow ones grown pungent over a month or more.
Other favourite purchaces are handmade green or black olive tapenade and sundried tomato tapenade, which smell of sunny summer days. You see some shoppers going past with large platters of shucked oysters, which they tuck into with a glass of wine at a table in front of the Cafe des Arts. Even on a fairly grotty day, people prefer to sit outside rather than in the warm fug indoors. (Smoking is still permitted in bars and cafes in France, until December 2007, I think.)
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