The Madiran grape harvest festival

In the Hautes-Pyrénées

In the Hautes-Pyrénées, the grape harvest is not just a seasonal activity, but also a genuine cultural heritage, celebrated in a friendly and authentic atmosphere. As September draws to a close, the weather remains mild, the vines take on glowing hues and the grapes gorge themselves with sugar. It’s harvest time! Just over 30 minutes from Tarbes, Jean at Domaine Pichard, one of the oldest Madiran vineyards, is getting ready for this emblematic event. Here, it’s a real celebration. We tell you all about the adventure of the grape harvest, the moment he loves so much.

terroir

The fruit of an exceptional terroir

“From Tarbes, head towards Maubourguet, pass the village and turn left onto the road that leads to Madiran. The first vines you see on the right are mine”.

Here, on this estate which was one of the very first Grands Crus of Madiran, the vines face due south on slopes of pebbles and clay. This gives the wine the minerality and tannin so typical of the appellation, as well as giving it a very long ageing potential. All this is surrounded by forests, facing the Pyrenees. You can begin to understand why Jean fell in love with his estate…

“The special thing about this place is that it faces due south, which is quite rare for vines! I love climbing these hillsides, especially at harvest time: the weather’s great, we’re up high surrounded by woods, facing the Pyrenees… It couldn’t be better! The exposure for the wine is perfect.

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The Madiran vineyards
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Maison des Vins

the harvest

Harvest time

A real party

The grapes are harvested over ten days. It’s all organic here! Although ¾ of the grapes are harvested by hand, the yield is low, so the harvest is fairly quick. It generally takes place at the end of September/beginning of October for the red wine, and at the end of October for the white. But it always depends on the weather! This year, the grapes ripened slowly…

“To decide on the exact date when the harvest will take place, we carry out a “ripeness check”: we taste the grapes two or three times a week. The acidity of the fruit must disappear, leaving a sweet taste, and the pips must be brown, with a slight nutty flavour! Then we take 100/200 grapes at random from the vines, press them and analyse the juice using a mustimeter*.

* This little tool, which resembles a thermometer, is used to determine the probable alcohol content of the future wine.

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Madiran Vignoble Brumont, Chateau Bouscasse - Maturing cellar

Just like before a big event, we get ready: we take out the machines, clean them, look after the future vats… Here, the grape harvest is a bit like Christmas. The preparations speed up as the excitement builds, and then the big day arrives:

“It’s my favourite time of year: the most interesting, the culmination of a year’s work, the culmination of all our efforts! Our first little grape-pickers are the children from the day-care centre next door: the privilege of the first grapes picked is always reserved for them. Then comes the real harvest: we do most of it by hand, from 8am to 6pm in the evening. Long days! But the harvest is a real party, with a friendly family atmosphere, and we always finish with a good meal: haricots tarbais, jambon de Porc Noir de Bigorre… A real celebration of the terroir! Because here we are in the Pyrenees, and without that we wouldn’t have this very special wine”.

unique

A unique experience

during a weekend in the Pyrenees

Like many others, Domaine Pichard is open to the public and wine tasting is free. It’s now or never! Harvest time is ideal for a winegrowing getaway. The sweet grapes are harvested and pressed. In the vats, you can smell the beginning of fermentation: little by little, the sugar becomes alcohol and the place is filled with a thousand scents. We taste the ‘must’, the juice from the freshly crushed grapes, and then the juices that are already fermenting. Finally, we sit down to taste the great vintages! Origins, terroir, cellar, production, characteristics, wine and food pairings… A real moment of exchange, discovery and complicity.