Somehow, I pictured hours of back-breaking labor, sweating under the hot Languedoc sun. Luckily, there was a fresh breath of fall in the air, so the weather was perfect — and there were just a few rows of luscious, ripe grapes to pick. Debb showed us how easy it was:
We got the method down in no time:
Everyone was snipping and picking so quickly, we filled up the wheelbarrows in no time flat.
So, who was going to haul our harvest back to the crushing machine at the house? None other than yours truly. Much more fun than an afternoon at the gym. Go, biceps, go!
Vince did his share of hauling too:
And even with all that intensive labor, there was time to stop and smell the roses. Well, time to stop and eat a sweet, ripe fig anyway:
Back at the house, Maryka showed Alec how to load grapes into the crushing machine:
George stirred up a batch of yeast to start the fermentation process of the first crush:
Double, bubble, toil and trouble!
After just a couple of hours, we were done. We gathered back at the house for a wonderful al fresco potluck.
Clockwise (from left) our host George, me, Vince, hostess Maryka, Reed, Jill, and Jack. Yes, Jack and Jill are a couple. And yes, they have heard all the nursery rhyme jokes!
The hard work took its toll on Jack, who enjoyed a sunny breezy afternoon at the vineyard in high style:
Now, that's how to spend a languid day lounging in the Languedoc — with a smile on your face and the wind blowing up your shorts.
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