Me at the Festival with one of the Ceremonnial guards
The frist grapes harvested being ceremonially processed
The 'free' wine waiting to be drunk
Eat your heat out Simon and Wendy.. you didnt get invited to report on the goings on....
Coraleen with the first grape juice.. very very sweet and waiting to be tested for the quality of the grapes
The grapes being tipped into the press
The first of the juice being produced
and another one...
and the second machine for taking out the 'bits' from the GrapesYes, we were in the right place at the right time. The 1st of September in Avignon is the ceremony of the Grape Harvest and they pick the grapes from a selected piece of vineyard which is next to the Palais de Pape or Popes Palace right in the centre of town. There is a big ceremony starting from the Centre of town with hundreds of people all dressed up who walk up towards this little park and then the grapes are tipped into the ancient hand presses and churned. The grape juice is handed out to the crowd and then the free wine is distributed. It's all like a Wine and Food festival at home where you can purchase the local fare and wine with music and celebrations going on until the wee small hours.
What a bonus and we were only there by a fluke!! But it was all good.. and I can vouch for the red wine, it was Chateauneuf du Pape and delicious although I had to queue for glass after glass as they only gave you tasting size glasses.
