2 Weeks in a French Vineyard

I, like many people, had a rather romantic impression of working in a vineyard: along the meandering slopes and the meticulously planted lines of grapes, a vintner would stroll pass her prized old vines, with a glass in her hand, and later sit down by the porch of her estate for a platter of cheese and prosciutto, followed by a nice fiesta under the afternoon sun...

With that impression in mind, I gladly signed up for a two-week volunteering gig at a French vineyard in Languedoc-Roussillon, a southern French region known for hearty table wines. The vineyard was situated around a 14th century chapel (still in use today), and planted 13 hectares of typical southern French varietals (Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, etc.). Here's me on day of arrival:

(Careful what you wish for!)

It was late spring / early summer when I arrived, so the grapes were just starting to grow. I had 2 jobs (mostly): to prune the grape vines and cut off excessive grapes (to control yield / concentrate flavor in remaining grapes), and to trellis the weaker grape vines so they don't get destroyed by the storms. Picture below is me cutting off tiny grains of grapes on the vine (sad! but important for making good quality wine). 

(Shoop, shoop)

I thought it was a pretty fun job in the first hour, not as much when the second hour hit, and my whole body started aching in the third hour from the constant bending down and standing up. The scorching sun in southern France didn't help either - it would be 50 degrees in the morning when I started working, but 80s when it got closer to noon. By the time I finish my 8-hour day, I'd be lying exhausted in bed... 

(Already exhausted after half a day) 

It was southern France so the weather was extremely unpredictable, and the storms could sneak up on you before you knew it. One morning it was sunny like the picture above, but the clouds gathered within half an hour, and soon the wind was roaring through the field and the rain pouring from the sky. The owner of the vineyard and I had to stay in the field for another 2 hours in the storm to finish trellising the weaker vines and save them from getting totally destroyed. From that day on, I gained a whole new level of appreciation of the comfort of an office job... 

However, the hard work came with priceless rewards. I got to bottle my first bottle of wine from the cellar and took it home as a present. The owner opened a bottle from 1990, my birth year, and taught me a lot about the history of her family's winemaking heritage. And after a week's work, I got to relax on the weekend and enjoy a bucolic brunch like this one: 

And I made a new friend: 

Remember I said that the 14th century chapel was still in use? I was very lucky to have caught a concert inside the chapel during my stay. The acoustics were amazing. 

All told, it was a rough two weeks from a physical stand point, but time extremely well spent and rewarding. The work on the field taught me how hard it was to grow and make wine, and helped me appreciate wine from a whole new perspective. I was humbled by the dedication and diligence of the winemakers, and moved by their sacrifice and pride. 

(My first bottle of rose!)