Vendange refers to the period of time when grapes are harvested for wine. We had heard that the "panic was on" to get all the grapes in, yet we couldn't see any machines out in the fields. We stopped at "Les 7 écluses" for a "dégustation de vin" (wine tasting) in the little town of Sallèles and had a great talk with the owners, husband and wife. It was like having a course in the vendange process, but in a much better atmosphere than a classroom since we were sipping some awesome wines. (Of course, we bought a couple of bottles.)
All the grapes for white wine had been picked. Since the grapes have to remain cool, the machines had been out from 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., getting the work done during the night and within a week. The grapes for the red wine would be done in the following week, and picked during the day (early morning) since the temperature is not as critical. Wind is not a problem, but rain is, so hopefully all the vendange would be over before the weather changed.
Press the play button to watch the wind in the vineyard.
We knew what these picking machines looked like, but we hadn't yet seen one in operation.
We found one while driving along a side road, so we followed it. It turned onto a major road and barreled along. In English, the "Convoi exceptionnel" signage would say "Wide Load". These machines are massive, reminding me of the huge harvesting machines on the Prairies - Massey Ferguson or John Deere.
They go at a pretty fair clip and when we had followed this machine to its end, it was only to have it parked after a long day out in the vineyards.
These machines do not cut any of the vine branches. They ride above the vines, like a rider on a horse, and shake the branches until the fruit falls off. A conveyor belt uploads the fruit to a bin that is being pulled alongside by a tractor.
When we did find one of these in operation, it was so far afield that we couldn't get a decent photo of it, let alone a video. I found many video clips on YouTube if you'd like to see the process close-up.
Back at the Co-operative.
Washing up after a long day's work.
With all this chasing about, we were ready for a rest and a nice dinner ourselves. So off we went to "Les Écluses", in Sallèles. Recommended to us by the owners of "Les 7 écluses", we thought, "what a fantastic find!" You will recall that "écluses" means "lock" and Sallèles is on the Canal du Midi where boats go through lock after lock.
I had the "rillettes de lapin", which is shredded rabbit with all sorts of wonderful spices. It was served with onion relish, a light salad, garden cucumbers and radishes. There must be a local greenhouse to have this fresh fare in late September. I absolutely loved it and will order it again.
Karl had the warm "chèvre", (goat cheese) with a salad and grapes, tomatoes and red onions.
We both enjoyed the pork with leek mashed potatoes and green beans.
I had chocolate mousse floating in a "Crême anglaise" with a sprig of mint.
Karl had the nougat with gooseberry sauce and sliced strawberries.
We of course had wine which is "de rigueur" at a French restaurant. At least we knew a whole lot more about the process that had brought this nectar to our lips!
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