History of the vine in Corrèze | From origins to today | Roger Pouget

Since the 6th century AD, the first vineyards were established by monks settled in Lower Corrèze in a very favorable environment for grape cultivation. For centuries, wines were transported throughout Limousin for the religious, lords, and local bourgeoisie. Thanks to the winemakers, the vineyards expanded and covered an area close to 17,000 hectares until 1875. It was then that the phylloxera, a tiny root louse insect, destroyed all the French vineyards in a few years, including those in Lower Corrèze. As a result, the region's agriculture was profoundly changed and, after replanting a quarter of the destroyed old vineyard, new crops emerged. Currently, there are only about 400 hectares of vineyards left, with only a few dozen currently undergoing a revival.