The Vine in Winter
Bare branches, but full vats and barrels
Thanksgiving. We all have things for which we are thankful, and I would like to thank all my readers for their continuing support. One thing though that would make me even more grateful would be if you made it official and bought a paid subscription. Or came on a wine walk, or bought a gift certificate, or my book, or simply ‘liked’ the occasional post. It’s been a year. Let’s take this one step further and become truly ent-wine-d. Thank you.
A Tribute to the Winter Vine
In winter's hush, the vine lays low,
Its tendrils twined in twilight's glow,
Once heavy with the fruit of summer's dream,
Now still beneath a frost-lit gleam.The earth, a cradle, soft and deep,
Lulls the vine into its sleep—
A slumber born of quiet grace,
As snowflakes kiss its hollowed trace.The leaves have drifted, brown and sere,
Yet in the silence, something near—
A whisper stirs the air around,
Of roots that stretch where life is found.For though the vine has given all,
In winter's grasp, it stands so tall,
Its slender arms, though bare and worn,
Hold memory of the grapes once born.Anonymous
There’s a certain pathos in seeing vines in winter. All the vigour and exuberant foliage of Spring and Summer fade away to leave only bare twisted branches and lowly vine stocks that show no sign of life whatsoever. Every harvest yields the new wine that in this darkening, cold season fills our glasses with the life and light the vine has brought forth. “Wine is sunlight held together by water” said Galileo. In sodden earth the barren sticks of this erstwhile vigorous emblem of nature’s vitality stand mute, denuded among fallen leaves. Slaked with rain, shrouded in snow and frost, they silently endure, sleeping through the cold winter to wake again in Spring.
There is a poetic inversion this time of year. Just when the vine looks its saddest, the joyful flow of the new wine floods wine shops and wine bars, reviving us and giving us courage and inspiration. The cycle is complete, repeating itself year after year. The vine has done its work and deserves a rest. The work of the wine maker thus begins, transforming nature’s gift through the alchemy of fermentation from grape juice into wine.
Each year in Paris this flow of new wine begins with the release of Beaujolais Nouveau (an event that has lost much of its following in recent years, but is still the deal if you do it right - read about it here), and is soon followed by the two biggest wine worthy events of the year: Biodyvin (215 members) and Le Vin de Mes Amis (91 members), which this year were both held on Monday 25 November.
But prior to those events, there was also a historic gathering at the residence of the Prefet of the Ile-de-France to celebrate the new commercial vineyards of the IGP Île-de-France that are beginning to appear in wine shops and restaurants around Paris.
It is still early days, but these wines, which are honouring the forgotten wine history of the Île-de-France, easily compete with some of the best of other northern wine regions of the country. It is a story that is still in its nascency, and one that we will continue to cover as these new vineyards become established and more and more vineyards appear. Stay tuned for our upcoming tours to the vineyards of the IDF!
It’s a daunting task being faced with the prospect of trying to visit and taste the wines of over 300 producers in one day. ‘So much wine, so little time.’ So one needs to be strategic and prioritise. Which isn’t easy as the wines are so very, very good. And the temptation to simply surrender to the moment and go with the flow (and flow it does) has its own rewards as every wine tells a story and when there’s such a concentration of great wine makers, every which way is right.
The senses are enlivened as the thrill of tasting so many great wines in rapid succession brings forth joyful enthusiasm and a desire to linger longer, even after you know it’s time to go. But it’s of course the social dimension that grabs you too. Over the course of the years I’ve made friends with wine makers all over France and it’s always a pleasure to see them again and taste their latest vintages. It’s a way of travelling vicariously as the vineyardscapes of their domains come flooding back to mind.
And every year I make new friends and determine to visit them at their domains. So join me on one of our upcoming regional wine tours to the Bordeaux region, Sancerre & the Eastern Loire, (others still to come) to find out for yourself why visiting vineyards is the very best way to learn about wine. Not to mention the pleasures of the table, the stunning landscapes, the conviviality, and the spiritual uplift…
To those of you who do, Happy Thanksgiving! Santé
Thank you for letting me into your world and for reading the Paris Wine Walks Substack. Your support is invaluable as are your comments, suggestions, critiques, dreams, thoughts and remembrances. A little encouragement goes a long way, so please consider a paid subscription, which need cost no more than (a cheap) glass of wine per week. Or, book a wine walk!
My book, ‘The Hidden Vineyards of Paris’ (reviewed in Jancis Robinson’s wine blog, the Wine Economist, National Geographic Traveler UK, UK Telegraph) is available for purchase via our website and at anglophone bookshops and wine shops in Paris. You can also find it at the Musée de Montmartre and the Librairie Gourmande.
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