If you're going to be in France in September or October and you're interested in the wine making process, grape harvest time or "Vendanges" in French, might suit your pallete. Every year, the timing is different but basically all 27 wine producing regions in France harvest their grapes. There are two ways you can partake in the festivities:
1. Be a grape picker. Sometimes the work is paid. Sometimes not but the owners usually feed you and give you wine during the period you're working. Some provide lodging during your stay. In order to do this you can either show up in a big wine producing region such as, Bordeaux, Burgundy or Cote du Rhone and visit a ANPE office (Employment office) and ask when, where etc. As its very temporary work (1- 18 days), you dont have to worry about visas , paperwork etc. However as I said, its all about timing. Every region starts at a different time depending on when exactly the grapes are ready, so if you just show up without a plan, you may miss out. Therefore the other option is to visit the following sites to arrange your grape picking in advance. Some of these agencies charge a placement fee.
www.grapepicking.co.ukwww.volontariat.org/2/jr_29.html in French
www.wwoof.org2. If the idea of spending your vacation picking grapes doesn't work for you, you can partake in one of countless grape harvest festivals in France during the same period.
Three big ones are in; Tarascon(Oct 7 & 8), Avignon(mid October) and Bordeaux-Aquitaine (mid October). Wine festivals are easy to pinpoint with any local tourist office.
www.teflanguagehouse.com
Grape Harvest in France
Aug 22 2008, 04:38 AM
