Wine Harvest is OVER – now a Celebration of St. Michael, the patron saint of Cassis

Deutsch: Bleiglasfenster in der Basilika Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, einer Gemeinde im Département Var in der französischen Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Darstellung: Wappen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Day of Harvest in Provence – and St Michael’s Day to celebrate is tomorrow – regardless of the upcoming storm coming through. It There will be music playing, and events planned after the big mass at 10:30am. Also, locals will be wearing the native costumes (Provençal ) . Can’t wait to see it!

Yesterday was the end of the harvest in Cassis.  It’s been a very difficult summer for the winegrowers in the region.  First of all the spring was much wetter and colder than it’s been in years.  Second, the summer was extremely dry and hot so the grapes that were supposed to be ready about a month ago, were not ready until almost October.

http://kermitlynch.com/our_wines/clos-sainte-magdeleine/

Today we went to a tour and wine tasting at Clos Ste Magdeline . It’s literally a few meters from our new apartment.  – I love the name because I happen to like Mary Magdalene in the Bible.  There is proof of Mary Magdaline’s remains – part of them – in an area of France called St Maximin-la-Saint Baume, high up in the mountains of Provence, in the Var region,  north east of Aubagne.  It’s incredibly beautiful in these mountains (collines – in French) and location of the Abbey that holds her partial remains.  It’s haunting and mysterious.

Inside the abbey are paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Lancet windows light the altar tribune in the Basilica of Mary Magdalene, Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume

But I regress.  Today, the winery tour was entirely in French , David translated for me.  I’ve decided that I can actually “speak french but cannot understand one word of it” after what I went through today.  First having a “Soin Visage” – (complete facial) in my little village by an incredibly capable esthetician where we were speaking of pores, and dry skin and other anomolies, –  she understood me, but I didn’t understand a word from her.  It’s so embarrassing.

So, after the wonderful TOUR, and after only two 1/2 glasses of the best white wine I have tasted in a very long time, it was only  noon- and I had to go home for a nap!!!!  Drinking wine, even a few little sips in the middle of the day – is not for me.  Good thing we were only a few steps away from the winery, and really good we didn’t have to drive.

Anyway, to know more about this most incredible winery, that has the most outstanding views of the mountains and the sea, and like one wrote about it – wanted to beg the owner to stay it was so beautiful, yes, indeed , it was.