INDIAN SUMMERS IN FRANCE lure wine enthusiasts to the vendange, the annual grape harvest. The countrywide tradition ends the silent stillness of Mother Nature’s growing season, about 100 days after the first blossoms emerge. For almost two weeks, workers clip their way through the long allées between vines. Equipped with pruners, they meticulously hand-cut each cluster of grapes and gently place them — bunch by bunch — into a basket. Grape porters transfer grapes to bigger baskets, or hottes, and carry them on their backs to a hopper, called a bin tipper, before a little truck transports them to the winery.

Winemaking is so integral to French culture, families speak about “wine in our blood” and their particular land’s terroir — the unique qualities of soil, sunlight and topography which impart the wine’s characteristic taste and flavor. For owners of domaines (wine estates), vintners and négociants (wine merchants), it’s a serious business determining future sales and profits.

Historically, the vendange had such economic significance that during the French Revolution the newly adopted Republican calendar chose Sept. 22–Oct. 21 as the first month of the year and named it Vendémiaire. The harvest remains vital as, according to the Federation of French Wines and Spirit Exporters, the second-largest French export in 2017 was the production of wine and spirits.

The early to mid-September dates vary from region to region and year to year, depending upon when the grapes reach the ideal sugar level and juiciness. Heat waves and drought, sunlight or rain, even snow showers, all affect the date. Plus, the number of grapes required — each 750ml bottle includes approximately 220 grapes (about 2.2 pounds) — necessitates adding seasonal workers and, in some instances, volunteers for the arduous manual work.

Grape harvest at a vineyard © OLIVER LEFALVE

Yet it’s the romantic appeal of the convivial experience that enthralls the nation, entices oenophiles, lures thousands of volunteers and those willing to pay to participate as a vendangeur, or harvest worker … even to be a spectator.

In Burgundy, wine estates on vine-studded hillsides echo the colors of the region’s famed glazed-tile roofs: burgundy (grapes), green (vines) and gold (sunlight). In this, my favorite and much-visited wine region, La Route des Grands Crus, the 40-mile wine route, rambles south from Dijon to Beaune — the wine capital of Burgundy — and beyond to Santenay. It passes through Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, where the distinctive clay- and limestone-rich soil produces prestigious Burgundy wines. En route, place names read like a gastronomic wine list: Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Aloxe-Corton, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet.

Regional gastronomic events and festivals abound, some of which pay tribute to Bacchus, the god of wine, and Saint Vincent, the patron saint of winemakers. One popular pilgrimage is to the walled 12th-century Château du Clos de Vougeot, founded by Cistercian monks and the longtime headquarters of The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Fraternity of Knights of the Wine-Tasting Cup).

The most exhilarating experiences are at exceptional wine estates. Just a 15-minute drive (or 40-minute bicycle ride) from Beaune, Domaine Leflaive, in Puligny-Montrachet, is a pioneer in biodynamic viticulture and wine tourism. Vendange visits include an in-depth vineyard tour followed by a cellar visit. Here, Olivier Leflaive or his brother, Patrick, describes the importance of terroir and discusses appellations and the winemaking process from cultivation to harvest, fermentation, barrel-aging and bottling. Tour packages include a glass of Burgundy and options for a tasting lunch — with paired wines — or dinner and an overnight at La Maison d’Olivier Leflaive, the 17th-century building housing his 13-room, 4-star hotel. Olivier expects the 2018 harvest in early September and notes it’s a “critical, busy, intense but happy period.”

What’s particularly rare is the chance to actually be a vendangeur, even for three hours. At Clos Marey-Monge 2018, at the 300-year-old Château de Pommard, which embraces sustainability and biodynamic viticulture, the morning program starts with a glass of Chardonnay; then participants hand-pick in the vineyard, help at the sorting table and witness the vinification process at the winery.

A grape porter © OLIVER LEFALVE

Tasting fine wines, including premiers crus, is part of the allure at Château de la Crée, a Côte de Beaune wine estate in Santenay. It dates from 1431, when it was owned by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy and founder of the historic Hospice de Beaune, where every third weekend in November collectors bid on rare vintages at the famous annual charity wine auction. During the half-day vendange program at its Domaine Serene gravity-flow winery, guests explore the ancient cellars, learn about the winemaking process and taste five wines.

Harvest festivities take place from Bordeaux to Burgundy, Corsica to Champagne, the Languedoc to the Loire and other wine regions. Visite packages range from tours and tastings to vineyard tours in classic cars, pique-nique lunches with workers or helicopter vistas of the vineyards. Regional tourist offices post specific information on their websites when precise dates are confirmed in mid- to late summer.

Each harvest showcases the beauty of nature; familiarizes visitors with French history, culture, patrimony and culinary bounty; and offers the extraordinary possibility of experiencing the camaraderie so emblematic of the vendange.

France Info to Go

From Paris, the TGV high-speed train from Gare de Lyon reaches Dijon Ville, in Burgundy, in about 95 minutes.