Les vendanges

    Every year, at the beginning of October, we see signs for different "festival du vins nouveaux" (new wine festival). Many of the small towns and villages celebrate the momentous event of "la vendange"(the harvest); well not just any harvest but specifically the wine grape harvest.  A time when the once quiet vineyard patchwork becomes dotted with workers trying to get most of the grapes off of the vines.  I expected it to be a very obviously busy time, yet last year we missed it all. One week there were grapes on the vines and the next, they were gone, and honestly, I still didn't see anyone in the vineyards of Wihr-au-Val, this year. 

Wihr-au-Val from the vineyards

     This year we were forewarned.  Someone at Alex's diving club invited us to join them for their celebration of the vins nouveaux, the following weekend.  So for that week, when we went into town or out for a drive, we made a point of keeping watch. Eventhough, we saw lots of vans, trucks and tractors with crates and baskets ready for the picking or filled with grapes, I don't think, we actually saw someone picking. Very strange!

     As for this celebration, it seems that our host has a patch of vineyard of his own and therefore makes his own grape juice and wine every year. So, this celebration marks the end of all the hard work and the beginning of the waiting period until he can uncork that first bottle and enjoy his wine.  It was a truly enjoyable evening with a small group of people sitting around a table enjoying food and conversation.  The fare seemed to be traditional for this occasion and for this region. The first course was a platter of meat, pork to be precise. It consisted of cooked ham, Italian thin sliced ham(like Prociutto), smoked pork, gendarmes(like a pepperoni stick), salami slices, chorizo slices and finally little bite sized dry sausages. It was all served with homemade bread, grapes and freshly picked walnuts on individual wooden boards, called plancha.  The second course was a variety of cheese with more bread and grapes and a new bottle of wine.  Then came desert, coffee(expresso as they say in France) and the strong stuff(eau de vie).  We had brought a pumpkin cheesecake, hoping that everyone would like it, since squash is not used in desserts here, and most did. The flavours resemble the pain d'épice served year round and used either on its own or as a base for sweet and savoury apéro(starters).

Looking up into the vineyards of Wihr-au-Val

The vineyards have become quiet again but not completely empty. It seems that some of the smaller bunches of grapes have been left on the vine. Will they leave them there for the birds or will they pick them later for a sweeter wine? I'll let you know.

'Til next time,

Julie