Birthday Vendange

I have never felt so knackered on my birthday! Instead of going on a bike ride to Spain, to stay in a nice hotel and eat out, I responded to the SOS from Christophe of Domaine Puech to help with this year's vendange.

We've had some truly atrocious weather this last week. Torrential rain pounded down, dumping several months' worth of rain over one day, so the ground was squelchy and soggy. The grapes had to be picked quickly before they started rotting in the still warm weather. I rushed out to buy some wellies as I'd thrown out all my old shoes recently and, call me vain and superficial, but I didn't fancy wrapping my shoes up to my knees in a bin bag and string.

Domaine Puech grenache vines

Dinky vineyard tractor and trailer which had to be filled with grapes

I joined the pickers several of whom were from our electoral team, for lunch after an hour's zumba (not sure that was such a brilliant idea as it turned out...). Everyone was gathered for an apero and then sat at one of those classic long tables under a huge tree to eat cold roast chicken, Mme Puech senior's excellent chicken liver pâté, and salad, with the Domaine's own olive oil and vinegar. It was simple and tasty. The talk was about the Scottish referendum vote, with general satisfaction expressed about the result.

After cheese and dessert, we drove to the vineyards. The vines were heavy with multiple bunches of grapes.

Grenache grapes

We joined a number of other pickers who were there to be paid. The rest of us were volunteers.

Grape pickers

I had taken my gardening gloves and a bottle of water which proved to be an excellent idea as it was very warm and I sweated buckets. I had sweat dripping off my brow and onto the grapes. If there's a salty taste to this year's wine, look no further for the culprit! We worked the rows two people at a time, one on each side. I was paired with another volunteer who very kindly carried my bucket full of grapes to empty it into the tractor and thus gave me a short break.

Christophe Puech's photo of me busy picking

As you can see, it's back-breaking work. I spent a lot of time squatting to save my back, but of course I was forever having to move along the row so had to keep standing up. The next day, I rediscovered the muscles at the front of my thighs... with a vengeance.

At the end of three hours I looked like this:

Note air of exhaustion

Everyone knocked off at 5pm and I was invited to join the team back at the Domaine for some refreshments. I followed two tractor trailer loads.

Tractor full of 1 1/2 hours worth of picked grapes

Another trailer full of grapes, picked by the sweat of our brows

The grapes were emptied into this big container and pushed through the screw that separates grapes from stalks.

Grapes being screwed :)

On the other side of the wall, a machine separates out grape juice from stalks and pips, and this is collected in containers. I'm not sure what it's used for - compost I would think. I forgot to ask. If anyone knows, please comment below.

Stalks and pips being dumped into containers

Meanwhile, the juice is pumped into a huge vat. There was a lot of juice, and this vat was getting pretty full.

Vat full of fresh grape juice

Before heading home to a refreshing shower, Christophe called us volunteers into the cave and gave us each a case of six bottles of wine. This was a lovely surprise as I hadn't expected as much - a bottle perhaps - and I chose to have their red wine to herald in the autumn.

It was definitely a memorable way to spend my 51st birthday!