Veuve Clicquot : Les vendanges

Whilst Mathieu was tearing around Paris trying to attend as many shows as possible during Paris Fashion Week, I got away from it all for the weekend and headed to Veuve Clicquot’s vineyards in Reims to participate in one of my favourite events, the grape harvest.

So it’s in the heart of the Rémoise region, more precisely in Verzy that this special harvest, that brings together all the employers of Veuve Clicquot, some handpicked guests and a handful of bloggers, takes place.

With a family-like atmosphere, but still under the iron rule of Christian Renard (the man in charge of the harvests), our objective was to pick as many Chardonnay (light green) grapes as possible, because the profits from this harvest would be doubled and donated to UNESCO.

Equipped with clippers, gloves and baskets, we managed to harvest 21 tonnes from less than a hectare despite the fact that there were not that many of us. Talk about efficiency!

This event, which contrasts hugely with that of last year, brings my discovery of the harvesting process full circle. I couldn’t have felt more at the heart of the process than when I was kneeling amongst the grapevines in the early hours. I had already taken part in harvests when I was younger (bearing in mind my lofty age of 23!) but I never thought I would find myself face to face with Yves Carcelle, let alone picking grapes for him.

The end of the harvest was accompanied by the traditional snack that gets devoured on the go. We finally ended up at the pressing shed where all the different harvests – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier – are taken, where we could admire the fruits of our hard labour.

Next instalment coming soon!