Fete de Vendange

This morning more than 20 of us gathered to celebrate the harvest with our neighbors who have the winery across the street. Most years they invite friends who travel from across France to spend a morning harvesting grapes by hand and then eat, drink, sing, and play silly games the rest of the day and night.

Most years we harvest white grapes which are used to make their sparkling (methode champenoise) wine. By law a portion of the grapes used for that wine must be harvested by hand. However, this year we are harvesting red grapes, just to maintain the tradition.

This is how the day began.

Les Vendanges Begin

Today both of our neighbors began to harvest the grapes surrounding the house. This year's very dry and relatively warm summer results in the harvest occurring a full month earlier than last year which was very wet and not all that warm. These are the grapes that are in front of our living room.

Sorry the postings have been thin. I am having problems with my back and cannot use the computer very much but how could I pass up the first day of the vendange!

By Bread Alone

This morning we went to the weekly market in Montpon. It is a market with a different spirit from that of Ste. Foy-more of the Dordogne as it were. Our favorite boulangerie there was sporting a trophy and designation of "winner of the best bread in the Dordogne 2009" for its tourte. How could we resist? We bought a small-sized tourte. They bake the bread in a wood-fired oven for all to watch.