FRENCH VILLAGE LIFE
We Arrived Too Early For The Festival des Vendanges
But this medieval village looks better at night anyway
By mid-September, the grapes in the vineyards in this part of southern France are hanging from the vines in heavy purple bunches, or they’ve already been picked — either by hand or by mechanical pickers that strip the fruit from the vine, leaving the skeletal stalks behind.
It’s the busiest time of year for vignerons and also interesting for those who just enjoy a glass or two of local wine. My partner had marked the Festival des Vendanges in the nearby village of Puissalicon on the calendar and we headed out this morning to check it out.
Metal barriers surrounded the entrance to the village and signs directed us to festival parking — two massive fields that were strangely empty. We parked anyway and walked into the village where tables were being set up, a band was rehearsing and we discovered we’d arrived four hours too…
