Montmartre Wine Festival
Trip Start
Sep 05, 2008
1
4
40
Trip End
Ongoing
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Paris,
France
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
It's not difficult to come up with an excuse to spend a lazy weekend hanging out in Montmartre. Paris's enduringly romantic artist's quarter has a year- round appeal but few weekends are as decadent as the annual wine harvest festival in October.
Yes, wine! The area best known for its cafes and galleries is also home to the city's only wine growing area. Over 2000 vines thrive in the enclosure between rue Saint-Vincent and rue des Saules, and every year the locals celebrate the arrival of the Clos Montmartre wines with a suitably large party.
This year's wine weekend takes place on the 10th-12th October. It's hardly surprising that a wine festival in the capital offers more than just wine tastings and parades. The packed programme of events features cultural performances, variety shows, banquets and balls, as well as the opportunity to guzzle the fruits of the vine.
The streets of Montmatre become awash with stalls piled with wines - the labels are designed by local artists - and regional produce. There's live music and street performances on the Saturday, and concerts and poetry readings take place on Montmarte Hill.
This year's event promises to be one of the most stylish to date. The theme is Paris in Cinema and the weekend programme features short film screenings, exhibitions, lectures, and a concert dedicated to the hit 2001 film Amelie (directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet), which was set in Montmartre.
And if that all sounds a bit too high-brow, panic not. The main festival parade is dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. Simple follow the flush-faced local producers who march through the streets brandishing the blue and yellow banner of the République de Montmartre, picking up singing supporters and tourists en route.
