Some of the most famous wines in the world come from Burgundy: Chablis, Beaujolais, Côtes de Nuits, Côtes de Beaune, Côtes Chalonnaise and Côtes Mâconnaise. But haven’t you ever wondered how they are made?
Grape harvesting (known as les vendanges in French) is an immense task involving picking endless rows on slopes of red and white grapes. In Burgundy, grape harvesting takes places every year in autumn, normally towards the end of September. On average it lasts 10 days, but can vary according to the climatic conditions and the number of grape pickers. It involves two teams: the pickers and the carriers. The pickers are generally smaller people who cut the grapes of the vines and the carriers are normally stronger people who carry the baskets and boxes of grapes to the vehicles ready to be taken away. The teams are normally made up of students, neighbours, friends and family members. Usually the teams are made up of people who have no experience in picking grapes and are watched by a vine grower who makes sure that they are picking the grapes correctly. Traditionally, the grapes are always handpicked as it guarantees the best quality wine because the pickers can choose the ripest grapes and they get to remain perfectly unaltered up until their transformation (it is actually a law in Burgundy that all grapes must be picked by hand and not by a machine). The grapes are simply cut with scissors and then placed in a bucket. As the vines in Burgundy are not very high, a lot of bending is required to be able to pick them. Going up and down the steep slopes especially when carrying baskets full of grapes is not easy, but when it rains or the ground is wet it can become very tricky. Gathering the grapes is a very hard job which demands a lot of precision and concentration but there is always an excellent atmosphere, with the grape pickers always willing to help each other out.

The excitement of the Burgundian harvest is infectious and is not something to be missed. At that particular time of year the region boasts great weather, beautiful countryside and some of the best restaurants in France.

The region of Burgundy is divided up into 4 départements: Yonne, Côte d’Or, Saone et Loire and Nièvre. Each département has its own wine and individual celebrations during the grape harvesting season.

In Yonne, the northern part of Burgundy, the town of Joigny holds a huge wine harvest festival (Fête des Vendanges) with many stalls selling wine, regional products and crafts, there is also entertainment and wine tastings. This year the festival takes place on 11^th October from 10.00am – 6.00pm and costs €1 or €3 if you want a tasting glass.

For Burgundians, the best part of the wine year comes two months after the harvest, at the world famous auction at the Hospice de Beaune. Wine buyers from all over the world go to the département of Côte d’Or in eastern Burgundy to the town of Beaune, to bid on the wines from the latest harvest. Parties are held everywhere, but the most famous one is held in the former abbey known as the Clos de Vougeot, where 500 people all sit down to dinner, drink great wines and sing!

In southern Burgundy, in the département of Saone et Loire, in the wine region of Beaujolais, the most exciting day of the wine making process is usually the third Thursday of November, which sees the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the wine made only six to eight weeks after the harvest and is proclaimed in restaurants all over the world. The Beaujolais Nouveau is a red wine made from the Gamay grape which gives the wine a fruity taste. The wine is intended for immediate drinking and should not be kept for more than a year.

The western département of Nièvre is particularly well known for its white wine; Pouilly-Fumé. It is a dry white wine made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety and has a smoky flavour. If you are keen to give it a try, regular tastings are offered at the cooperative cellar of Pouilly ‘Les Moulins à vent’. There are also several festivals of regional produce and a wine fair on 15^th August. And in October, Nièvre also boasts its new wine festival (Fête du vin nouveau).

With so many events to choose from, you’ll be sure to have a wonderful wine experience in Burgundy this autumn.

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