Villages and hamlets are of stone built houses, many of which, particularly on the main streets, incorporate the traditional large doorway to a chai - an area for wine production.
Most of the local French work in the vineyards which provide grapes for the wine producing co-operatives at Montlaur and Monze, the one at Serviès having merged in 2006 with that at Fabrezan.
In this respect life has hardly changed since the French Revolution, except for the introduction of farm machinery and other improvements which have been made possible by the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.
The closure of the independent Serviès co-operative in 2006 coincided with the beginnings of a radical change in the appearance of the valley, as a large number of vineyards have been, and continue to be grubbed up to be replaced, mainly by cereal crops, most commonly barley and rye.
This is very largely in its infancy, although there is an increasing amount of accommodation available in, and particularly near the valley in nearby Carcassonne, Lagrasse, Lézignan-Corbières and Narbonne, and local hotels and restaurants are being encouraged to remain open throughout the year.