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| JC |
With all the whites in and fermenting happily at Le Chai, I
left Bordeaux and headed for the red harvest in the Roussillon.
As normal the yields are down. JC got hailed on 3 times and
it’s drier than ever but he keeps smiling and is in best form for the old-vine harvest.
 | |
| Hail damage |
 | |
| Papy |
Papy is also getting stuck into his 55th harvest
and not taking any nonsense from the array of harvesters who come every year from
all walks of life. No machines here!
 |
| Some of the harvesters |
JC’s wife Celine has taken her holidays to help out in the
vineyard. She used to work full time in the family vineyards so she knows the
ropes. She seems so much happier and at home lugging the boxes of Grenache than
she is when working in the supermarket. She really misses the vineyard.
 |
| Celine |
Midday comes around quickly and Papy has already got the
fire going. Out comes the long coiled Catalan sausage, not forgetting a chilled
bottle of Maury! Everyone is fed and Mauried (a new word?) and it’s back to it
as we really need to fill the vat today.
 |
| Lunch |
JC, Celine and I go
back with the first truck of boxes and start processing them from the main road
and pavement into his tiny garage winery.
 |
| Harvest |
 |
| JC's Garage Winery |
Dinner is a well-earned three-courses-in-one ‘rapido’ that
consists of steak, salad, frites and cheese at Williams thriving village café. And,
of course, a glass of chilled Maury!
 |
| Steak 'rapido' |
Tomorrow is International Grenache Day, so where better to
be than in Grenache Land, harvesting more old vine?!
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
and lechaiauquai.com
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