I’m sorry for the long silence, but I’ve had a bit of
writer’s block. And I’ve been
busy…yes, I’m not just sitting around eating chocolate and cheese, I’ve been
busy brushing up on my French. I
was counting the years that I’ve studied French the other day…it’s literally been
42 years. I started studying when
I was -2 years old, and it’s been a long haul.
In all seriousness, I have
been studying French for the past 3 months through the Swiss French School
in Lausanne. In the past I’ve
always tried to keep up with my (mostly spoken) French with weekly
lessons. I’ve had so many great
teachers over the years – Laurence, Maryvonne, Florence – who have helped me
get to the level I’m at today. But
life and work got in the way, and for the past few years I haven’t had my weekly chat
sessions, so I felt that I was a bit rusty and should brush up. The classes have been a great jump-start
back to speaking and writing in French, and I’ve received many compliments (albeit
somewhat backhanded ones, more of surprise that an American can speak French at
all…we have a lousy reputation in the language department, so the bar is set
pretty low).
So enough excuses, my classes are over, and I’m back to the
blog. We had such a fantastic time
in early October helping with les vendanges – picking grapes in the gorgeous
Lavaux vineyards at Alain Chollet’s vineyard in Villette. Alain Chollet is a third
generation winemaker whose home and the vineyard are set on impossibly steep
slopes with breathtaking views overlooking Lac Leman and the Alps. I can’t imagine waking to that view
every day. They say that every day
is different but just as beautiful.
We started our day at about 8am with croissants and coffee
and a short discussion with Alain about his vineyard - the history (his
grandfather purchased the vineyard in 1921), the 12 types of grapes that he
grows and his sustainable farming methods.
It was exciting to hear about his type of farming that uses less
water, and how he’s been planting some of the older grape varietals to increase
biodiversity.
We were a small team
that day – only about 8 of us, mostly connected in some way to La Source medical clinic where his wife works, which is also where my friend Debbie
works.
We had a pompier (fireman),
a retired mathematics professor, now a painter, and a few veteran vendage volunteers
who made up our crew.
Alain Chollet, the vintner, in the visitor's hut
After coffee, we were shown our harvest tools – small little
razor sharp clippers with a sharp point at the end. There was a discussion about the pheromones that our hands
emit that seem to attract the clippers (that are somehow well-known to
secretaries who get paper cuts – is this my French gone bad, or is this what he
was saying?) At any rate, that’s
what he said, and we were told to hold the cluster of grapes from the bottom,
and try to keep our hands away from the clipper blades. One veteran volunteer showed us
his scars from the prior year. I
also saw that the first-aide kit was out and ready.
Our first task was to pick the white Chassla grapes from the
vines that go across the hill. It
turns out that clipping the grapes is the easy part. Luckily, they had hired workers to haul the filled
crates back to the “cave” where the wine was to be pressed. Every once in awhile we stood and turned
around to see the gorgeous view.
At noon we went inside for a delicious meal (cooked by
Alain’s wife), complete with their wine.
After our hour-long break we went back to the vineyards,
this time to pick the pinot grapes that were planted in steep vertical rows.
We hauled our empty crates to the top
of the hill, and worked two by two going down the vine, someone on each
side.
You had to be careful to not
include the finger of your partner (in my case Doug) along with your grape
cluster, but Doug and I worked well together once we got the hang of it.
Alain Chollet and Debbie
Alain Chollet's visitor's hut is along the tourist trail through the Lavaux vineyards. It's a place where you can sit and relax, enjoy the view, and taste their wine (available self-service inside the hut).
At some point in the afternoon I switched to work opposite
of Debbie and as we were chatting away I happened to mention that it was always
big excitement for the women in our neighborhood back home when the firemen were called. I knew the second that I said it that I
shouldn’t have (Debbie hasn’t changed from our nursing school days) and before
I knew it, she was telling “le pompier” my comment. NO DEBBIE! He
modestly said that it was similar in Switzerland, but mostly for the younger
pompiers... to which Debbie replied, “Yes, but women “of a certain age” can also
appreciate the older pompiers.”
STOP DEBBIE!! I was basically
mortified, and avoided all contact with the man, until, still chatting opposite
Debbie, the clipper found my finger and started to bleed. I had to sheepishly ask “le pompier”
for a bandaid and muttered “Merci,
je ne l’ai pas fait exprès” (I didn’t do it on purpose)”. So embarrassing!!
When the vendage was done, we assembled at a table next to
the house overlooking the lake, and the grandmère brought out cake and ice
tea. From there we went
inside the winery to help press the Chassla grapes. The press was over 100 years old, set on a large piece of
granite from the nearby Jura Mountains.
After a few presses (and tasting the delicious juice) we helped to clean
up and were set to leave when Alain asked if we were in a hurry, did we have
time for an “apéro”. After a glass
of their delicious Chardonnay, we left with 6 bottles of wine each, and a big
bunch of Chassla grapes for our efforts.
Not bad for a day’s “work”!
The team
The grandparents
The end of a fantastic day
Separating the grapes before the second press
The history of the onion market goes
back to the 15th century, where the nearby Fribourgians allegedly
came to the Bernese rescue after a major fire, and they thanked them by having
a market to celebrate together and allow them to sell their crops. Ever since, the Swiss capital of Bern
has been having an annual celebration of the mighty onion, and also its related
cousin, garlic. On this day, it’s all things onion –
braids of all sizes, decorations, every imaginable food made with onions – and
to wash it all down, beer and spiced wine.
