If you stay at Domaine des Etoiles on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter Weekend) you will have an opportunity to experience an international wine event on the doorstep. For the past 20 years, the wine growers and producers of Limoux have worked to promote the Appellation and to create exceptional internationally recognised wines in doing so they have created a most prestigious sale of Chardonay wine the "Toques et Clochers".
Since the first auction on April 8th, 1990, the wines of the Toques et Clochers have obtained the recognition of the famous French chefs, as well as writers from the most prestigious specialist wine magazines and the wine auction now attracts over a thousand buyers from all over the world.
It is a two day event held in one of the small villages in the Limoux Appellation. The festivities start with a procession of dignitaries from the wine producing villages all dressed up in their ceremonial robes and it is quite a sight. Saturday is open to the general public and brings together wine professionals and anyone interested in participating in wine tasting, eating local specialties, watching street 
entertainers or hearing some good music in festive, in a friendly atmosphere until late in the evening. On Saturday night there is a gala dinner prepared by a famous chef that is attended by the great and the good at huge expense and on Sunday morning there is the wine auction. The chefs hat is known as a "Toque" and so the combination of toques and clocher gave the event its name.
Every year, some of the proceeds from the wine auction are donated to restore a " clocher " or belltower in the host village, helping to preserve the unique character and rich heritage of these villages in the upper valley of the Aude.
In 2011 the event will be in the "quartier du Paradou" in Limoux (just 15 minutes drive from Routier) on Saturday 16 April , so if you like wine the Toques et Clochers has all the ingredients for a magical evening and a memorable holiday experience!
The event is organised by
Sieur d'Arques
