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Montmartre harvest festival in Paris

By: Michele de Capitani

It is not surprising that a big feast celebrating wine takes place just in this quarter: according to the legend, Montmartre, one of the most famous and touristy quarter in Paris, was home to the god of wine, Dionysus, and the quarter is the only wine-growing area of the city. Wine has been produced here since the Middle Ages, and the area was famous for its wine production in Roman times. Vineyards were widespread in this area in the 10th century, but we have evidence of their existence even in 390 BC. Nowadays Montmartre vineyards lay on a lot saved from developers nearly 70 years ago by the Parisian artist Francisque Poulbot, they occupy over 1500 square metres and produce 75% Gamay, 20% Pinot noir, 5% other wines such as Merlot and Riesling.

The harvest feast dates back to 1934, when Montmartre's merry decided to revive old traditions and to plant vines in an area tilted towards rue St. Vincent. The first grape-picking ceremony was organised the following year (although you usually have to wait four years before pressing grapes for wine), and the first grapes were offered to the President of the Republic, Albert Lebrun, and the Minister of Agriculture, Henry Quenille. The ceremony has then been repeated every year in October, except during World War II. After the ceremony grapes are pressed in the cellar of the mairie, and bottles' labels are painted by local artists.

As a celebration of wine, the Festival attracts every year 150,000 visitors, including wine growers, experts but also simple wine lovers, who have the possibility to taste wines but also to have fun taking part in the several events which take place on Montmartre streets. The climactic events are the parade dedicated to Bacchus, the god of wine, and the election of the Harvest Queen, but the Festival offers much more to its visitors, and for this reason it can be considered not only as a simple wine feast, but also as a real cultural event mixing up wine, music, cinema, and gastronomy: streets host stalls with regional produce and become a Taste Trial including different thematic villages, such as the Organic Village, the Invited Country Village, the Around the World Wine Village, but the area is also crowded out with musicians and singers, and with fanfares and bands from France and around the world (on Saturday), while many concerts as well as poetry readings take place on Montmartre Hill.

Not only music, food and wine: in the 2008 edition an important part is played also by cinema. The theme of this year's Festival, indeed, will be Montmartre celebrates its Cinema: the Festival will host short-film screenings, a concert dedicated to Amelie, (the movie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet in 2001 and set in Montmartre), and will have Anouk Aimée and Claude Lelouch (who celebrates his 50 years in cinema) as special guests. Cinema lovers will be offered also concerts, exhibitions, lectures and even a short film festival.
If all these events have not persuaded you that the Festival is worth a visit, you should know that it's not only an amusing feast, but also a big solidarity event: the sale of the bottles is entirely given to the social associations of the arrondissement. You can do a good deed and at the same time have a lot of fun!

The French capital is one of the world's truly great cities, with fine museums and excellent food, and Montmartre district is its most artistic district, for it was here, during the 19th century, that poets and artists gathered. Paris attracts many visitors, and thanks to the variety of accommodation options that it offers, it is the ideal destination for everyone!

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This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from http://www.flashbooking.com for any information, please visit cheap accommodation Paris or for travel insurance visit cheap hostel Paris.

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