Les Vendanges en Champagne

 
Harvest in Champagne had been one of the "things I want to do" for quite sometime and this September, I finally did it at Champagne Cordeuil, located in a tiny village of Noe-les-Mallets, about 1&1/2 hour drive from a town of Troyes in the southern part of Champagne region in the Aube.

Champagne Cordeuil is RM or Recoltant-Manipulant= grower producer, who grows own grapes and makes own Champagne, vs. NM or Negociant-Manipulant= Champagne house, which buys grapes/wines from growers and makes Champagne according to the house style; majority of the Champagne we see here in the US are NM such as Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Taittinger, etc. What made this opportunity working for RM particularly great for me was that I get to deal with both viticulture and vinification at one property.

Each year, each village receives the official harvest starting date from CIVC (organization which controls production, distribution, and promotion of Champagne) and this year the starting date in the village of Noe-les-Mallets was 9/16. Dragging my suitcase full of 3 weeks worth of clothes along with a raincoat and farmer's rain boots for the harvest work, I arrived in Paris on 9/14 and shared a ride with 3 other “pickers” the following day.

There were about 25 pickers at the Champagne Cordeuil. All French (except 2 Italians living in France) and majority were late 20’s to early 30’s. Noticing they were all “repeaters” from all over France, I became curious and asked why they come all the way here to do the harvest every year. Everyone’s answer was the same – “This place is special.” “There is no place like Champagne Cordeuil.” I later found out why.

 

 Our day starts at 7:00AM with a simple breakfast of café au lait or hot chocolate with baguette. By 7:30AM, we get in transportation vans and head to the vineyards located in different parts of the village. The work begins at 8:00AM with a bucket in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. 

Harvest in Champagne may sound glamorous and romantic (or at least it did to me) but the actual work is extremely hard and labor intensive. The vines are trained very low close to the ground, and since two out of three grapes used for the production of Champagne are black varieties to make clear, golden colored Champagne, great care must be taken, therefore hand harvest is the only option permitted by law. Also due to its marginal climate and northerly location, vines are planted on the slopes in order to take advantage of sunshine. This is great for the grapes but hard for the human being to work with. Just to give you an idea how hard it was - I was told to bring a bottle of aspirin as I was going in a lot of pain (and yes I was) and crawling out was the only way I could get out of my bed for the first couple days.

However from day 3 and 4, I happened to get used to the work in the vineyard and I was even thinking about applying for a job in a vineyard from day 5 and 6, asking the Chef de Caves where I can take oenology program in the area. Only the problem – I started to smell like a farm; the aroma of soil and dry hay, complemented by a whiff of horse manure. Additionally my hands and fingernails were stained black from Pinot Noir grape.

Despite all these things I was not used to, the time I spent at Champagne Cordeuil was amazing. Every lunch and dinner starts with 2 glasses of Champagne followed by unlimited amount of red wine with four course meal of appetizer, entrée, cheese selection and dessert, all prepared from scratch by its own chef. His French home cooking was so delicious to a point I almost asked him if I could stay in France with him the day he gave me a ride to a bus stop.

The lunch break is 2 hours long everyday, so when we finish our meal, we go outside and lay on the grass, chitchat, smoke cigarettes, take a nap, sing, play games… After a break, we go back to the vineyards and work till 4:30-5:00PM. When we return to the property, we take a shower, relax a bit, and meet in the dining room at 8:00PM for dinner. 

My favorite time of the day was before dinner, when some of us got together in “la cave”(= winery, where they press the grapes and make Champagne) and hang out with the owner “Gigi” and the Chef de Caves. They usually open couple bottles of Champagne or other beverage and tell us about the production of Champagne. Sitting in “la cave”, hearing the press machine going in the background, smelling the freshly pressed grape juice, and learning about Champagne was an ultimate environment, which I could not have asked for more.

  

In general, the harvest takes about 10-12 days but we finished in 8 days this year on 9/23 and it was a time for “fete” or party! It was also a day, which happened to be full moon and the day people celebrate for the end of the harvest with an animal dog in France. Unlimited numbers of Champagne bottles were opened and dishes after dishes of a special feast took over the entire dining table. We drunk, sang, and danced till after midnight (till 4AM for some).



During the 10 days I spent in Noe-les-Mallets, not only I learned what it was like to work in the vineyard and Champagne making but also the delicious meals, Champagne, and the special moments I get to share with everyone were just magical. I now know why Champagne Cordeuil is special and there is no place like it!