The Wine Harvest

It’s been a busy day with les vendanges, or wine harvest, and I’m a little short on words and energy, so here are a few photos of the day instead.
 

The vineyard first thing in the morning.

 

Time to start working.

 

"Working"

 

The grapes on the vine.

 

More grapes.

 

These are filled by the dozen and this year, brought to a private organtic wine producer.

 

All done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the future of small winegrowers?

            With the wine harvest still in full swing, some conclusions have been made from the 2010 vendanges, and not all news is good.  The Languedoc-Roussillon region where I live produces the most amount of wine in France, but it has lost 10,000 small vineyards in less than 10 years.  These vineyards are on average less than 7 acres and often represent an additional modest income for a family.  Of these, almost 80% brought their grapes to a cooperative which represented 71% of regional production; hence, even small business means money.  The irony is, the decrease in acres harvested does not translate into a decrease in the quantity produced; 83% of the vineyards that remain are harvested mechanically and therefore are more profitable.

            While these are just numbers from a country far away from “2 Buck Chuck”, they do show a growing trend: small producers are being forced out and that will have an impact on the local economy and the end product.  Less money in mean less money out and quality can decrease when there is less of a choice, or does it?  If your vineyard only produces a small benefit, is it worth holding out if a better offer is presented?  Half of winegrowers hold an official label, such as appellation d’orgine protégée or indicate a geographic protection, so their quality has to meet certain expectations that are not found from its two dollar counterpart. 

Personally, I am for all the small vineyards; after all, it is the culture here and not too long ago each family had a vineyard to produce its personal wine consumption.  I would like to see all the vineyards stay, but it should not mean a loss to the winegrowers.  It’s a quandary, what should the small winegrowers do?

(Data: L’Hérault de Jour, September 29, 2011.)

Les Vendanges

I’ve got to admit, there is something a bit mythical about the vendanges.  Perhaps because it is something that I thought I’d never do since I grew up in a region void of vineyards, but the harvesting of grapes, or les vendanges, is quite fun, at least the way we do it.  We help our neighbors who have a small vineyard and with a group of about ten people, the work is done in a day.  If I were a seasonal worker who did this for two months straight, I know I’d feel different about it, but a day is a good dose of what makes it fun without getting a back ache.

Before my first vendanges, I thought the work would be complicated, but it only entails cutting the grapes off the vine and making sure a finger isn’t taken along with it.  Not only would that hurt a lot, but as Monsieur Gousse says, “It will spoil the wine.”  The only other requirement is a good humor.  There is quite a bit of teasing going on along with an occasional smashing of grapes, so perhaps a white t-shirt is best avoided too.

            A long lunch is standard, followed by bringing the collected grapes to the cooperative, where they are weighed and tested for sugar (alcohol) contents.  Just the smell of the place is intoxicating.  It’s not a wine smell, but not fresh fruit smell either.  There must be something in the air because all the people are extremely jovial. 

            It’ll be months before the grapes we collected will be ready to drink, but the wine I had at the end of the day did give me pause to the effort that goes into making it.  Word of caution though, just watch your back if Monsieur Gousse has a handful grapes and a sly smile.  He might have something planned for you.

Our neighbor's truck used for les vendanges, era 1950.