2023-09-20 08:48:40
The cut is precise, the gesture assumed. Pruning shears in hand, leaning over a stump, Claude Cauquil meticulously harvests the grape clusters. “It brings back memories, a long time ago, when we harvested as a family, under the guidance of the grandfather who set the rhythm for us. I was a child, it took place in Puisserguier. At the time, we made the vine “piss”. Today, all that has changed. An excellent Saint-Chinian is produced on this terroir today.
Claude came “with a few friends” to rediscover the scent of his childhood, he who is enjoying his retirement, after having chosen another path, that of IT. This morning, there are around a hundred harvesters for a day taking care of the vines on the Grand Puy estate, in Montpellier. A somewhat unusual harvest. Here, not a single student or seasonal worker. These men and women paid to fill the buckets, in return for a good meal after a morning of effort. 25 euros per adult, 15 per child.
“When we discover a territory, we like to understand it”
The 7 hectares of vines belong to the city of Montpellier. But they are managed by the association of Companions of Maguelone. This establishment and work assistance service (Esat, ex-CAT) supports 120 people with disabilities every day, offering them professional activities and accommodation. Since 1969, he has managed the Maguelone peninsula and its Romanesque cathedral. And since 2019, the restaurant of the Grand Puy estate, concomitant with these vines. “This day is important to us. The vocation of the association is help through work for people who have a recognized disability, underline Marie Lamy, head of the area and Frédéric Vabre, general director of the association. But we also work on proximity with our customers. We find it interesting that they can start from the beginning of the story. Let them touch the grapes which will become the wine that we will have vinified and drunk at our table.”
“We come as a family. This is the fifth time that we have participated in the Montpellier grés harvest. [une appellation viticole dont l’aire s’étend à 46 communes autour de la préfecture de l’Hérault], explain Jean-Pierre Casademunt and his daughter Sandy. It’s a moment of conviviality and a way of helping wine growers who need it. In addition to enjoying nature, while we are in the heart of Montpellier. » And if they appreciate “adding a social dimension to this approach”, this is not the first reason which pushed the Vitry family to participate in this day. Jean-Claude and Sabine came from Reunion to visit their daughter Eleïna. “When we discover a territory, we like to understand it. Here, the vine has an important place in the history of the region. When our daughter told us about this day, we thought it was a great idea.”
Another way to experience wine tourism
Elsewhere, other one-day harvesters share this approach. In Languedoc, several vineyards offer, as part of oenotourism (wine tourism), days where you have to go to the checkout to pick up the grapes. Eight estates, members of the departmental federation of independent winegrowers of Hérault, offer the opportunity to “dive into the heart of the completely unique atmosphere of the harvest” with “guided tours of the vineyard to learn more about the terroir, grape varieties and cultivation methods. Winegrowers for a day, whose profile is not intended to compete with seasonal workers: the pace of the harvest is much less sustained and the time spent, by the winegrowers, explaining the right actions, for a morning or one day of harvest, would not be profitable.
“Paying to harvest, it’s true that it can seem quite confusing,” smiles Eric, who came with his friends Rémi and Julien. These three thirty-somethings are from the Paris region, where the first two still live. “But we shouldn’t see things like that. More like an outdoor physical activity, a moment of conviviality, sharing and the discovery of a culture. With, as a bonus, a meal and this side of solidarity which gives even more meaning. I didn’t know such initiatives existed and it’s really a great discovery. »
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