Bonjour à tous,

Even if you're not a winemaker, everyone who lives in Burgundy is at least somewhat aware of the cycles of grape growing.

My brother-in-law, Jean-Baptiste (JB, "jee-bay") Cluzeaud, is a winemaker here in Burgundy and we often help with the grape harvest (for one day only 😬). My husband is surely a proper help, but I'm usually the absolute slowest, lest-efficient of all the grape pickers.

JB's domaine and some of his vineyards are in Volnay, but he also has vineyards in Pommard, Fixin, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses, Monthelie, and Corgoloin.

While the work of picking grapes by hand is back-breakingly hard, it is also very fun (when you only do it for one day a year 😬).

We start early in the morning, have a short break (with snack) around 10am, then a long, catered lunch break back at the domaine, then it's back to work in the afternoon, which I find is always the hardest.

I imagine you heard what a hot, dry summer we've had here in France, and Burgundy was not spared, therefore the harvest started earlier than usual (and some of the grapes are smaller this year than in years past). I wanted to compare the dates of all the past years that we've helped, so I went back through all my photos to see the dates that that we have harvested in the past, because while JB is probably capable of citing them off the top of his head (he has a photographic memory for these things, it's amazing), I couldn't remember.

Voici ce que j'ai trouvé : Here's what I found:

While the dates we've harvested range from the 28th of August to the 15th of September, this year JB started harvesting on the 20th of August, and we were there helping this past Saturday, the 22nd of August, so definitely earlier than I have ever picked grapes before.

And, yeah, we've taken the past few years off from helping, last year, for example, I think we were still on vacation in the US during the harvest, but we were back at it again this year, however, and this year I was more well equipped with these awesome new kneepads!

For the wine enthusiasts out there, JB assures me that this year's vintage is going to be wonderful; excellent quality, but lower in quantity than years past.

For those of you who would like to learn more about Burgundy wine, here's a video I made with JB last year:

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Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this outpost from the local grape harvest, a little date comparison, and yet another example of how our lives here in France are so rythmées by local traditions and annual events.

Come to think of it, here are more upcoming events that are absolutely worth checking out if you're in the vicinity (or to note on your calendar for next year)

• ​LaLaLib - it's the free back to school concert here in Dijon, this year it's on Friday, 5 Sep
• ​Le Vélo Tour - This year in Dijon, it's on Sunday, 13 Sep, an amazing way to see the city by bike and with thousands of other bikers, amazing, family-friendly atmosphere, and so much fun. (Vélo Tours are organized on other dates in other cities around France. Check the website for more info.) I made a video about the last time we did it as a family, back in 2024, here.
• ​Le grand Déj - also Sunday, 13 Sep, if you're new to Dijon, it's your chance to go learn more about all the clubs and activities the city has to offer. This year it is being held at the parc de la Toison d'Or. Allez-y ! Go check it out!
• ​Les journées du patrimoine : 19-20 Sep, your chance to visit historcially-significant buildings and other sites all over the city (events happening all over Europe, actually), and to have expert explanations, or get a tour of sites that are otherwise closed to the public, in addiiton to all sorts of other events. I also have a video about this event from a few years ago here.

Tellement de choses à faire ! So many things to do!

Amusez-vous bien ! Have fun!

Suzi

PS: If you’d like my personal feedback on your own moveing-to-France plans, you can book a 1-on-1 strategy session with me: ​Schedule your session with me here​

PPS: As always, this is certified AI-free content, in case you couldn’t tell. 😆