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Port-Leucate (France)
Aphrodite & Oasis
This is a report on the "holiday villages" Aphrodite and Oasis,
near Port-Leucate, France.
It is based on my experience there in July 1989 (Aphrodite) and
July 1990 (Oasis).
CONTENTS
1 Topography of the "zone naturiste"................... 1
2 Oasis and Aphrodite.................................. 2
2.1 What they have in common.......................... 2
2.1.1 What does it look like......................... 2
2.1.2 Dress code..................................... 3
2.1.3 Telephone...................................... 4
2.1.4 Rent........................................... 4
2.2 Differences....................................... 4
2.2.1 Look........................................... 5
2.2.2 Swimming pools................................. 5
3 Restaurants.......................................... 6
3.1 In Aphrodite: Le Triangle......................... 6
3.2 Oasis............................................. 6
3.3 In Leucate-Village................................ 6
3.3.1 Les Amandiers.................................. 6
3.3.2 El Toro Furioso................................ 7
3.3.3 La Closerie.................................... 7
3.3.4 Biquet......................................... 7
3.3.5 Le Jardin du Village........................... 7
3.4 In Leucate-Plage.................................. 8
3.5 In Port-Leucate proper............................ 8
4 Shopping............................................. 8
4.1 Bread in Oasis.................................... 8
4.2 Centre Commercial in Aphrodite.................... 8
4.3 Supermarket Teisseyre near Leucate-Village........ 9
4.4 In Leucate-Village................................ 9
4.5 In Port-Leucate................................... 9
4.6 Chemists.......................................... 9
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4.7 Banks............................................. 10
5 The area............................................. 10
5.1 French Catalonia.................................. 10
5.2 The Cathares...................................... 10
6 Excursions........................................... 11
6.1 Excursion at sea.................................. 11
6.2 La Lydia.......................................... 11
6.3 Le Fort de Salses................................. 12
6.4 Carcassonne....................................... 12
6.5 Minerve........................................... 12
6.6 Safari park at Sigean............................. 13
7 Wine................................................. 14
7.1 Fitou............................................. 14
7.2 C�teaux de Languedoc.............................. 14
7.3 Minervois......................................... 14
7.4 Blanquette de Limoux.............................. 15
7.5 Muscat de Rivesaltes.............................. 15
7.6 Banyuls........................................... 15
8 Weather.............................................. 15
9 Languages............................................ 16
INDEX
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1 Topography of the "zone naturiste"
Port-Leucate lies on a fairly narrow strip of land between
the Mediterranean sea and the lake (�tang de Salses - Etang
de Salses in 7-bit Ascii).
There is a road along this strip, which runs fairly close to the
lake-shore. Some sections are "dual carriage-way".
Along this strip (along this road), from North to South, you
have:
o Leucate-Plage - the old seaside resort - lies on the main-
land, really
o a low bridge over a narrow canal (that connects the lake to
the sea, and cuts straight through the strip)
o the naturist area (or "zone naturiste")
o a high bridge over a wide canal (that connects the lake to
the sea, cuts obliquely through the strip and also acts as
the harbour of Port-Leucate)
o Port-Leucate - a modern seaside resort
o the boundary between the municipalities of Leucate and Bar-
car�s
o Port-Barcar�s - a modern seaside resort (Port-Barcares or
better Port-Barcar}s in 7-bit Ascii)
o a bridge over yet another canal
o Barcar�s - again on the mainland
Now, between the first and the second bridge, there is only one
junction, a T-junction (it cannot be anything else than a T-
junction, because the lake is at the other side). You must turn
into the "leg" of the T (that is, turn to the West, turn towards
the sea). I think there are signs saying "zone naturiste", and
even more specific signs for "Aphrodite" and "Ulysse".
1
This road will take you through a row of dunes, onto a round-
about. You turn:
o right, for Aphrodite and Oasis
o left, for Ulysse or the camping ground
Just to summarise, within this "zone naturiste", you have, from
North to South:
o the camping ground
o Ulysse
o a stretch of wasteland
o Aphrodite
o Oasis (very new)
2 Oasis and Aphrodite
2.1 What they have in common
2.1.1 What does it look like
Both Aphrodite and Oasis are what is in French called a "vil-
lage de vacances", literally a "holiday village". I think the
Americans would call this a "resort".
They look like a village, consisting of small apartments, as-
sembled to rather small buildings, situated between shrubs and
greenery. The sight is certainly not monotonous, as the build-
ings have many different shapes.
Both "villages" are next to the beach.
The apartments have one or two bedrooms, a small kitchen, a
sleeping couch in the living room, a bathroom with shower, and a
porch.
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The "villages" were built by a "property developer". The apart-
ments are sold to individual investors by the developer' sub-
sidiary "Sogelav" (that is a real-estate agency). Sogelav also
acts as a rental agency for those owners that wish. I think
Americans would call this a "condo".
The "population" exists of two parts:
o Owners, who generally live in a nearby city (where "nearby"
can be as far as Lyon) and use this as their week-end house
or summerhouse. There are also owners who come from as far as
Belgium, who are retired and who live here all summer.
o Tenants, who stay for 2 or 3 weeks. Mostly from France,
Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, some from the Netherlands.
Most of the people are parents with their children, or grandpar-
ents with their grandchildren.
The atmosphere is friendly. People are not noisy. The "villages"
and the beach are very tidy.
2.1.2 Dress code
The general rule is that you are expected to be nude from sun-
rise to sunset. There is some social pressure - being nude is
also seen as a display of "good faith".
However, you may have good reasons to wear something, and that
is accepted (strong wind, sunburn, ...).
The rules are different at the restaurants (Oasis and Triangle):
you are expected to wear at least a towel at the restaurant,
and people generally dress to have a meal at the restaurant.
People also dress for a dance (but they may strip to jump into
the swimming pool after the dance).
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2.1.3 Telephone
There is a telephone booth halfway along the main street of
Aphrodite. It works with a "T�l�carte", which can be bought from
the news-agents' in the Centre Commercial.
2.1.4 Rent
The prices were, in 1990, for the months July and August:
o for a "studio" in Aphrodite (2 persons - "studio" means you
sleep in the living room - 15 m�): 1770 FRF .
o for a "T2" in Aphrodite or Oasis (4 persons - two sleep in
the living room, two in the bedroom - 23.25 m� in Aphrodite
or 27 m� in Oasis): 2870 FRF .
o for a "T2" "front de mer" (in the first row) in Oasis: 3070
FRF .
o for a "T3" in Aphrodite or Oasis (6 persons - two sleep
in the living room - there are two bedrooms - 38.75 m� in
Aphrodite or 42 m� in Oasis): 3670 FRF .
o for a "T3" "front de mer" (in the first row) in Aphrodite or
Oasis: 4370 FRF .
These prices include a "cancellation insurance" (insurance
against the risk that you must cancel because of illness, etc.).
The address is: SOGELAV, Village Naturiste, 11370 LEUCATE .
If you arrive there without a membership card of the INF (Inter-
national Naturist Federation), you have to buy one from the FNF
(the French federation), at 70 FRF per adult (1990 price).
2.2 Differences
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2.2.1 Look
Oasis looks cleaner, newer (well, it is newer, by some fifteen
years), more spacious than Aphrodite.
Oasis opened in June 1990. The (rental) prices were identical
to those for Aphrodite, but I expect Oasis to be more expensive
next year (I think it will be very popular).
It is also smaller (much smaller) and more cosy. It will double
in size soon, but it will still be much smaller.
Finally, the flowers and shrubs are well-kept (in Oasis).
You can drive your car into Aphrodite - there are 3 streets.
In Oasis, there is a car-park in front, and the place itself is
completely free of cars (it is much smaller, so you do not have
to walk far when loading or unloading).
2.2.2 Swimming pools
There is one rectangular swimming pool in Aphrodite. There is no
shallow end. The pool lies between the houses, with little open
space.
There is also a kidney-shaped swimming pool in Aphrodite. That
pool, too, lies between the houses, with little open space. It
was not in use in 1989 (but it was in 1990).
The swimming pools in Aphrodite are guarded, and they are only
open during certain hours of the day.
There is one kidney-shaped swimming pool in Oasis, right in the
middle, with a large sunning area (tiled), with palm trees and
flowers (around the sunning area, and also in a flower bed in
the middle of the swimming pool). There is a shallow end for the
kids. The swimming pool is next to the Oasis restaurant. It is
not guarded, and you can swim any time of the day or night. At
night, is is illuminated by spotlights under the water surface.
After one particularly hot day, we were sitting on our porch,
overlooking the swimming pool. It was dark already, and the
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lights were shining underneath the surface. We just stood up
from our chairs and jumped into the pool.
3 Restaurants
3.1 In Aphrodite: Le Triangle
This restaurant is at the beach, in the middle of Aphrodite.
The day's menu is different every day, and is written on small
black-boards (French and German). It costs 67 FRF, if I remember
well, and offers a choice between 3 main courses. There is a
decent children's menu.
Service is amiable, and efficient, except if you are in the
hands of Jean (who runs this place) - he has got too many other
things to do (he is very nice, but not efficient). It may take a
long time before you get the bill.
Entertainment is organised in the evenings: music, dance, ... .
3.2 Oasis
The Oasis restaurant is in the middle of Oasis, next to the
pool. The choice is limited (see the black-boards), but the
quality is excellent. Service is rather slow. You cannot pay
with a credit-card.
Entertainment is sometimes organised in the evenings: we have
had a number of dances around the swimming pool.
3.3 In Leucate-Village
3.3.1 Les Amandiers
This used to be a very nice pizzeria (where you could eat other
things than just pizza), at the entrance to the village (left-
hand side of the main street). However, it was "temporarily
closed" in July 1990, and it remained closed ... .
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3.3.2 El Toro Furioso
This is a Spanish restaurant at the entrance to the village
(right-hand side of the main street). I would not recommend it -
we found the food rather mediocre.
3.3.3 La Closerie
This is in the main street, on the left-hand side, just before
the war memorial. The restaurant is in a court-yard, and is
very nice. The decorations are "psychedelic", the staff seems to
consist of retired flower-children (who run this place very
professionally), and the food is very good. The day's menu
depends on the day of the week - the seven possibilities are
posted outside, so you can walk by during the day and decide
when you will have dinner at La Closerie.
3.3.4 Biquet
This is in a narrow street off the main street: the first street
to the right beyond the war memorial. It is very nice and the
food is very good. The dishes are also very original. The dec-
oration is in an eclectic style, with elements of Philippe
Starck.
They also serve delicious pizzas, with a very thin (and crisp)
bottom, which are baked in a very hot oven - the place calls
itself "Pizzeria Biquet".
This is where we have dinner on the 14th of July (the French
national holiday).
3.3.5 Le Jardin du Village
A small restaurant, on the corner of the main street and the
street that leads to Biquet (the first street on the right
beyond the war memorial). We have never eaten there: there is no
alternative for the children, and it is rather expensive (the
main course alone would cost you in the order of 70 FRF).
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3.4 In Leucate-Plage
There are a number of restaurants in Leucate-Plage. One of them
is mentioned in the red Guide Michelin. We have never eaten
there (it is rather expensive, especially with the kids).
3.5 In Port-Leucate proper
There are many restaurants. However, you will not get the value-
for-money that you get in Leucate-Village.
4 Shopping
4.1 Bread in Oasis
Bread and croissants can be bought at the Oasis restaurant, in
the morning.
4.2 Centre Commercial in Aphrodite
There is a "Centre Commercial" in Aphrodite, behind the office.
There are:
o A laundry.
o A butcher's shop (that also sells wine).
o A news-agent's, that also sells foreign newspapers, and
that has a reasonable choice of books, in French, English
(I saw many Agatha Christie paperbacks, Stephen Hawking's
"Brief History of Time", and Tom Clancy's latest, i.e. "Clear
and Present Danger") and German (I saw some Ephra�m Kishon
paperbacks).
o A souvenir shop, that also sells sun-tan lotion, floppy hats,
sandals, diving goggles, etc..
o A "glacerie-cr�perie" (where you eat ice-cream and/or pan-
cakes).
o A baker's shop, that also sells wine, honey and marmalade.
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o A rental office, where you can rent bicycles, TV-sets and
even boats.
o A pizzeria.
o A green-grocer's shop, that is rather more expensive than
the Teisseyre supermarket (3 kilometers away, Section 4.3,
Supermarket Teisseyre near Leucate-Village).
o A grocery (in supermarket style - but a small supermarket),
that also sells wine, bread and croissants, fruit and vegeta-
bles. If you prefer the "ordinary" croissants (as opposed to
the "butter" croissants, which are very fatty), you should
buy them here.
4.3 Supermarket Teisseyre near Leucate-Village
Situated half-way between the lake-shore and Leucate-Village.
Turn right at the roundabout. Parking can be tricky.
This supermarket accepts credit-cards.
4.4 In Leucate-Village
There are many small shops (groceries) in the village.
4.5 In Port-Leucate
You can find all sorts of shops here, but they will be rather
expensive.
4.6 Chemists
There is a chemist's shop in Leucate-Village, in the centre of
the village (one of the streets to the left of the main street).
There is another chemist's shop in Port-Leucate, in the shopping
mall near the main marina (the shopping mall with the children's
playground).
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They all have a cream called Biafin, which is very effective
against sunburn.
4.7 Banks
There is an office of the Cr�dit Agricole in Leucate-Village.
They are not very friendly. When you cash a foreign cheque, they
insist that it should be for the maximum allowable amount (was
1400 FRF in 1990).
There is another bank office in Port-Barcar�s, and there might
be one on Port-Leucate, too.
5 The area
5.1 French Catalonia
The area between the �tang de Salses and today's Spanish border
is known as the "Roussillon" or as French Catalonia. The Catalan
language is still alive in the small villages. This area became
part of France in 1659, as a result of the peace treaty of the
Pyrenee mountains (between Spain and France) - the Spanish king
gave up a lot of territory, not only here, but also along the
northern border of France (the southern Netherlands were Spanish
territory).
5.2 The Cathares
The "Cathares" (after the Greek for "the pure ones") or the
"Albigeois" (after the town of Albi) were a religious sect that
became very popular in the South-West of France, in the 12th
century. Around 1209, the King of France and the Pope mounted a
joint expedition against these heretics. One after the other,
the Cathare cities (such as Carcassonne - see Section 6.4 - and
Minerve - see Section 6.5) and strongholds were taken, and most
of the inhabitants were burned alive.
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As a result, the Pope had got rid of of these heretics, and the
King had strengthened his control in this part of his kingdom.
I suppose that the words for "heretic" in German ( "Ketzer") and
in Dutch ( "ketter") are derived from the word "Cathare".
6 Excursions
6.1 Excursion at sea
Excursions at sea (a trip from Port-Leucate to the lighthouse on
the Leucate cliff and back) or a round-trip (Port-Leucate, the
lake, Port-Barcar�s, the sea) can be made in the afternoon or at
night, with a converted fishing boat that moors at the "mairie
annexe" (small cubic building on the main dock of Port-Leucate).
We made the trip to the light-house, in the afternoon with the
kids. It is very nice.
A very amusing (or upsetting) moment is, when the boat leaves
the harbour, turns North, and the captain, once again, takes his
microphone and this time announces "� votre gauche, vous avez la
zone naturiste" ( "on your left, you have the naturist area"),
and all the passengers crane their necks to catch a glimpse of
the naturist beach (which is too far away, anyway).
6.2 La Lydia
This is a steamer which was deliberately beached (a rather com-
plicated operation) high and dry on the beach of Port-Barcar�s,
to become a shops of this new sea-side resort (sometime during
the fifties, I think). There is a discotheque somewhere deep
down in the ship. The upper decks are a sort of amateur museum
about marine life, and about the beaching operation. The kids
love it ! (20 FRF per adult)
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6.3 Le Fort de Salses
This fortress (near the village of Salses, at the other end of
the lake) was built by the Spanish king, at the end of the 15th
century (if I remember correctly), to guard the border (see
Section 5.1).
It commands the whole coastal area, but it is practically invis-
ible itself (embedded into the hill-side).
It can be visited, as part of a guided tour, and that tour
starts at regular times (which I do not remember) from the main
gate (22 FRF per adult, in 1989). You cannot visit it on your
own.
It is, in a sense, a show-piece of high-tech: there is running
water, an intercom, a cold-storage room, a steam-bath, toilets
and many sorts of booby-traps.
6.4 Carcassonne
Carcassonne is one of those Cathare cities (see Section 5.2).
The old city now lies in a corner of the new agglomeration.
It has been restored to its original state by the architect of
Louis XIV, and figures on every leaflet of the area. However,
what you see is fake (it is not the original).
We have not been here (we went to Minerve instead - see Sec-
tion 6.5), but I have been told it is very crowded.
6.5 Minerve
Minerve is another one of those Cathare cities (see Sec-
tion 5.2).
Most of its city walls and its keep have been destroyed, but
otherwise it has not changed much since 1209. It has not ex-
panded beyond its original confines.
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The city itself is worth seeing (about 100 m across, and 500 m
long).
Another thing, is the so-called "pont naturel": one of the
rivers (the city lies between two rivers) does not flow un-
derneath that impressive bridge at the entrance to the city,
but through a cave. You can visit this cave (the rivers are
dry in summer). The exit is very close to that man-made bridge
(under that lonely house on the corner). When we were there,
the exit was closed, for the rehearsals for a play that is per-
formed in this cave, every summer. We saw some signs to the
other side (the entrance to the cave). After a rather difficult
walk, we got there, and I can say that the entrance is much more
impressive than the exit.
There is a naturist camping site nearby - it must be awfully hot
and dry there !
Directions to Minerve: you drive to Narbonne, and follow the
directions to St Pons.
6.6 Safari park at Sigean
There is a safari park near Sigean. It consists of three parts:
1. the safari park itself, where you drive through,
2. a zoological park (a bit like a zoo) and
3. a bit of savannah, where you can see the antelopes etc. from
a view-point on the fence.
This is very expensive - not just the entrance fee, but all
snacks and drinks are horribly expensive (11 FRF for a small
bottle of Pepsi-Cola in 1989) - and you do get very thirsty (it
is very dry and very exposed) !
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7 Wine
The wines from the South of France tend to be rather coarse.
That is, however, changing slowly.
Wine farmers are often organised in a "cooperative" - an associ-
ation of all the wine farmers of the village.
I have found that you can buy a decent wine at the supermarket
(Section 4.3, Supermarket Teisseyre near Leucate-Village), but
you must look for the most expensive wines (expensive relative
to prices of wine in the supermarket, that is).
7.1 Fitou
Leucate is in the Fitou area. The co-operative of Leucate pro-
duces a red wine called "La Dame de C�zelly", which I found a
bit too coarse.
7.2 C�teaux de Languedoc
I found a very nice white wine, called "Domaine de Vires", a
"C�teaux de Languedoc" from la Clape (la Clape is a village on
the hill of the same name, between Narbonne and the sea - it
is one of a scattered collection of villages, between the Rh�ne
river and the �tang de Salses, that may use the name "C�teaux de
Languedoc"). It is not sweet, and very rich in taste (you cannot
call it dry). I drank it in the evening. I cannot imagine,
however, drinking it with a meal (I would not know what sort
of food that would go with this wine).
7.3 Minervois
This is a large area around the old town of Minerve.
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7.4 Blanquette de Limoux
This is a sparkling white wine, produced through a process that
is similar to the champagne process (although the locals claim
the Limoux process is older). The taste is more pronounced (than
the champagne taste). Frankly, I prefer it to champagne.
7.5 Muscat de Rivesaltes
This is a sweet white wine, a so-called "vin doux naturel". I
think you need a bit of luck when buying a sweet wine: there
can be quite some difference between vineyards, and between
vintages. If you are lucky, it is rich in taste and not too
sweet. I think the Muscat de Rivesaltes can be compared with a
Monbazillac - certainly not with a Sauternes.
7.6 Banyuls
Another sweet white wine, even sweeter than the Muscat de
Rivesaltes. It is supposed to be the only wine that you can
drink with a chocolate-based dessert. I have never tried it.
8 Weather
The weather is very nice :-)}.
Seriously, there can be a hard wind blowing from over land (from
the North-West). This is similar to the Mistral in the Rh�ne
valley, and it has many names, such as "Tramontane". This wind
can be very annoying: it is very dry (the sky is dark blue on
such days), it blows over the beach, blasts the sand onto your
back, and generally makes you nervous. It is also very hot. On
such days, you have to decide whether to stay at the swimming
pool (in Oasis), or to stay at the beach, well-protected by a
screen.
It is very hot on such days, and these are not the most suitable
days for excursions.
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We have also had clouds, mist and fog, but only on Saturdays
(serious!). This is very convenient: those who leave can load
their car, and those who arrive have the time to unpack.
However, when there is a fog along the coast, the weather can be
brilliant in-land: in 1989, we left on Saturday afternoon (the
fog was rather dense), but as soon as we were on the motor-way,
we were in the sun (at its hottest).
9 Languages
In general, you should not expect anyone to speak any other
language than French. There are some exceptions:
o At the Aphrodite reception desk, there are some people who
speak German, English or even Dutch (there was a Dutch guy in
1990).
o At the restaurants Le Triangle, the menu is available in
German, too. At the restaurants Le Triangle, La Closerie and
Biquet, there is always somebody who speaks English.
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INDEX
A___________________________
Albigeois, 10 D___________________________
Amandiers, 6 dress code, 3
Aphrodite, 2 E
different from Oasis, 4 ____________________________
in common with Oasis, 2 excursion
shopping, 8 at sea, 11
area, 10 excursions, 11
B___________________________ F___________________________
bank, 10 Fitou
Banyuls wine, 14
wine, 15 fortress
beached steamer, 11 Fort de Salses, 12
Biafin, 10 J
Biquet, 7 ____________________________
Blanquette de Limoux Jardin du Village, 7
Wine, 15
C L___________________________
____________________________ La Lydia, 11
Carcassonne, 12 language, 16
Catalonia, 10 at the restaurant, 16
Cathares, 10 Leucate-Plage
Centre Commercial restaurants, 8
shopping, 8 Leucate-Village
chemists, 9 restaurants, 6
Closerie, 7 shopping, 9
C�teaux de Languedoc Limoux
wine, 14
Index-1
Limoux (Cont.) S
Wine, Blanquette de, 15 ____________________________
Safari park at Sigean, 13
M___________________________ Salses
Minerve, 12 fortress, 12
Minervois shopping, 8
wine, 14 Sigean
Muscat de Rivesaltes Safari park, 13
Wine, 15 sunburn
cream, 10
O___________________________ supermarket, 9
Oasis, 2 swimming pool, 5
different from Aphrodite, T___________________________
4 Teisseyre
in common with Aphrodite, supermarket, 9
2 telephone, 4
restaurant, 6 topography, 1
shopping, 8 Toro Furioso, 7
P___________________________ Triangle
pharmacies, 9 restaurant, 6
pool W___________________________
swimming, 5 weather, 15
Port-Leucate wine, 14
restaurants, 8 Wine
shopping, 9 Banyuls, 15
R___________________________ Blanquette de Limoux, 15
restaurant C�teaux de Languedoc, 14
languages spoken, 16 Fitou, 14
Restaurants, 6 Minervois, 14
Rivesaltes Muscat de Rivesaltes, 15
Wine, Muscat de, 15
Index-2
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