Geography

The Vendée is the French département (or county) between Brittany and La Rochelle on the West coast of France. It is a rural area famous for its seafaring (Ellen McArthur sailed into Les Sables d’Olonnes on completing the Vendée Globe) and for its immense beaches of golden sand.

Climate

The Vendée is known for its mild climate. It has the most sunshine of any region of France apart from the Cote d'Azur, and benefits from warm temperatures which are on average 5 - 10 °C warmer than in England.

History

The area’s main historical events were the Vendée wars during the French Revolution, when the republican troops from Paris defeated an uprising by the rural population (known as les chouans) and then laid waste to it. Peace was only restored in Napoleon’s time. La Rochelle was an important centre of protestantism during the wars of religion – ironic as Cardinal Richelieu was bishop of Luçon just to the north.

Wines

The local Vendée wines, les fiefs vendéens VDQS, are very popular locally if somewhat acidic for UK tastes. However, they have improved dramatically over the past few years and now offer some reasonable mid-range wines. One worth trying is the Chateau Marie du Fou whose shop can be found locally just before the bridge in Mareuil sur Lay.