Nearly all the grapes in the Renaudière vineyard around us have been harvested now. Most are machine-harvested, but a few plots are hand-harvested. Some grapes that were still on the vines this past weekend are these blue ones. I think they're about the prettiest grapes in the vineyard.
These are grapes that have been sacrificed and left to rot on the ground. I don't know why.
I'll be hitting the road for my drive to Blois, the closest big town in the area, less than two hours from now. The reason for the trip is a good one: I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist (ophtalmologue [uhf-tal-mo-luhg] in French). I need to see if my prescription needs to be changed, and I haven't been tested for glaucoma or cataracts in a decade or more. Until now, it had always taken a year to get an appointment with an eye doctor (except for emergencies), but a new practice was opened in Blois recently. I made an appointment just three weeks ago.
Beautiful grapes. I hope all goes well with the opthalmologist. A trip to the Asian grocery, too?
ReplyDeleteThose deep blue grapes are my favorite also. Glad you are getting your eyes checked out.
ReplyDeleteThe ophtalmo says I have a cataract forming in my right eye. Come back in a year to see if it's getting worse, he said.
ReplyDeleteI've had one of my cataracts done and was supposed to have the other done last May but I was sick and postponed. I need to reschedule. It was an easy operation.
DeleteIf the Rioja region is any measure, they adhere to quotas of harvest per hectar. I walked through the vineyards in that part of Spain a few years back and saw all those grapes on the floor. Finally I asked in a avillage and that's what they explained to me.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're probably right, since many (all?) French wine regions have those kinds of rules. I've always found it kind of strange, since I believe the reason for such rules is to keep yields down to improve quality. That's fine if one accomplishes that result by pruning earlier in the growing season, but if all you do is leave some grapes on the vine or on the ground at the end of the harvest, it doesn't seem to accomplish the goal. But hey, I'm not a grape grower.
DeleteI just received the reminder that it was time to schedule my annual eye visit. Last year I, too, was told that I was at the beginning stage of having a (or more?) cataract. Many of my friends have had cataracts removed.
ReplyDeleteThose grapes look beautiful. Can you take them to eat or prepare ? since they have been discarded?