Just a few grapes are left in the vineyard. Some are red grapes but most are Chenin Blanc, the white grape grown over in Vouvray and Chinon. Here in the Saint-Aignan area, some of the wineries make a late-harvest "mellow" wine (un vin moelleux) from Chenin Blanc in years when weather conditions allow the grapes to ripen completely. Chenin also goes into the local sparkling wines.
The grape leaves are now taking on their fall colors. Before long, all the leaves will be gone and the annual pruning of the vines will be under way. The grape juice will be fermenting to produce the 2014 wines for next spring and summer.
I love your post about grapes I have never seen such well organized vineyard.
ReplyDeleteMERCI for showing how the harvest gets from vineyard to bottle.
ReplyDeleteYour local vineyards add so much to your life :) Beauty, Callie-walking territory, blog post topics, and good drinking :)
ReplyDeletePeople dream about living in or near vineyards. Maybe the reality is less exciting. Still, the rhythm of life here is somehow pretty satisfying. And for walking a dog (and for walking a person) it's really ideal. Up and down the rows we go, daily.
ReplyDeleteOn our travels to France from Italy, we have experienced the wines from Chianti, Montalcino, Montipulciano, and Piedmont. Looking forward to our next four days with wines along our travels to the Loire.
ReplyDeleteBonne route, Sue and Leon.
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