Citadelle de Blaye listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco (from www.winealley.com)
The World Heritage Committee of Unesco put its name to to the network of major sites in Vauban, which includes the famous Citadelle de Blaye. Built by Ferri, around the old fortified town, the Citadelle de Blaye was renovated by Vaubab between 1686 and 1689.With the valorisation of the citadel, which has always been its hallmark, the ‘Premières Côtes de Blaye’ hopes to profit from a regain of visibility and notoriety. Like Saint-Emilion, which saw a 20% increase in tourist visits in the year after it was listed as a World Heritage Site and which now offers a number of wine tourism locations, les Premières Côtes de Blaye is expecting to profit from the media attention in order to develop wine tourism. All the more so because la Citadelle has a rare and precious thing at its centre; a small section of land (720 feet) which produces on average 1000 bottles of Premières Côtes de Blaye each year. The Echauguette vineyard (situated near the tower of the same name) attracts numerous novices who are keen to help with harvesting.
