Harvest - Blogabond

The VENDANGE is the most difficult thing physically that I have ever had to do... besides the climbing of the Pyrenees in France last time I was here... Lets begin from the breakfast... started at 6am consisted of coffee, tea and juices as well as a million types of bread and fruit (healthy compared to our fatty waffles and whatnot).... Then we were briefed on the events of the day....
My team of three set out to cut the grapes... we were told how o cut them so we didn't cut one of our fingers off (it has actually happened every year)....It was about 98 degrees outside and we are rolling around on our backs and crouched down cutting grapes... then loaded them into big buckets weighing about 30 lbs each... then the team of loaders came around with a huge tractor and loaded the buckets into the big dump truck looking machine where the stems were to be removed and the seeds taken out as well as the skin removed for the grapes...

All of the wives cooked all day and came around with snacks and water about every thirty min so that gave us some extra energy and fuel to keep on cutting... We had lunch for 2 hours of mussles and boiled shrimp during the hottest part of the day... The rest was well deserved as well as needed...

The harvest and cutting of the grapes...

After the lunch we went back out until sun set when the harvest is over... whatever was not cut that day would not be included into the bottle... The vengange is more for the best of all of the wines... the 150$ bottle grapes are hand picked and thats why it is so good as well as expensive...

The vineyard logo and ennty...

Me cutting grapes

After the party began in which the 6 course dinner was served and 2 lambs were roasted as well as about everything French you could imagine was served... The party had a live band and servers... talk about a party too bad we all were covered in dirt and grape juice and smelled awful...lol The party lasted until 3am... The rest of the weekend we rested and continued to eat and drink in celebration of a great harvest and past season... The wine was featured in 6 books with 4 out of 5 stars in each... So the sales for the next year will be excellent due to the ratings...

Gerlandin and I at the harvest party

Needless to say I am still so sore from the lifting and cutting and still have all ten fingers so it was a great harvest... Minus the wine headache that will be there for a few days...

On Monday before I left we got to go to the beach it was a bit freezing but, it was fun because its pretty dark blue water and with the weather this past week this was a nice change...

The beach at the mediteranean

geraldine and I at the beach

Le Vendange- Vineyard Harvest

Lansargues, France

Heading South?