All in all, I’d had enough of picking fruit, I thought as I aimed the grapes into the bucket. Especially today when I still had suitcases to pack. I tugged on a bunch, regretting that I hadn’t thought to bring the secateurs with me and wondered if it was worth making a trip back down to the house for them.
The purple grapes were so ripe that they had started to dry and fall off, but the white ones remained glued to the vines as though Bacchus himself were clinging to them. Although why he should want them was beyond me. The variety of grape, combined with the high altitude and lack of maintenance in the vineyard, produced a wine that had the delicate aroma of window cleaner and the subtle taste of battery acid. My throat constricted at the thought.
My husband’s love for his home grown, home brew was directly disproportionate to the amount of time he spent looking after the vineyard. Grass grew knee high and the vines were interspersed with the odd walnut tree or bush. “Be lucky if we get 100 litres this year” he grumbled to his father, the second biggest consumer of Château Revolting. The leaves on the vines were already turning yellow and the grapes had started to shrivel. We should have picked them a fortnight ago I thought as I reached the end of my row. I hauled my bucket over to the tractor and emptied it into the boxes.
Strolling down to the house later, I was grateful that this year’s grape harvest had lasted a mere 2 hours. I would have time to get some packing done after all, I thought, wondering if the wine in Auvergne would be any better…
The mountain dweller 
You just managed to make grape picking in France sound tedious. That requires real talent, I’d say!
Where are you off to?
Heidi
Chateau Revolting? Too funny. Sorry you have to work to support it.
Château Revolting? I laughed out loud. Sounds suspiciously like the beer my husband brews in the cellar!
Ah, yes; the mysterious suitcases mentioned in the second sentence . . .
It is good to have something to laugh about, no? You are off again…suitcases…hope it’s for some more fun.
Château Revolting? That’s very funny. Here’s to a good glass of wine in the near future 🙂
Window cleaner and battery acid??? You crack me up!
Aaah…is there to be a break after all? All that picking must merit some sort of relaxation. We made wine one year but I must blog about it. Disgusting is too mild a word! So yours is a regular effort? Must not be as bad as all that?
This so reminds me of the book I read last month, “A Year in Provence.” Made me want to move there.
I picked grapes in Burgundy 33 years ago
It was fabulous
and the wine that year was pretty good too!
Safe travels
Chateau Revolting…sounds tempting. Not!
I bought a kilo of Golden Delicious today and wondered if they were yours…
Bon voyage.
Angela