In these dreary midwinter days, what better way of spending a short break than at a wine festival.
Every year at the end of January or early February, the region of Burgundy and some of its wine-producing districts celebrate the feast of St Vincent, patron saint of wine, in truly remarkable style.
A different village is chosen each year to host the Saint-Vincent Tournante and for up to two years in advance the local winemakers prepare their chosen vintages for the thousands of visitors, while the villagers devote themselves to making hundreds of thousands of decorations. Sunflowers, roses and spring flowers, created from a variety of materials, show in every window, the streets are strewn with colourful decorations and the closest vines draped with false leaves and grapes.
It might be late and expensive to catch the main event at Chassagne-Montrachet on January 30 and 31 but the following weekend Chablis will stage a smaller but more charming tournante in the village of Milly, a mile from the main town.
The village sits beneath the slopes of Côte-de-L?chet which produces Chablis Premier Cru and has a small château owned by Daniel-Etienne Defaix, who can claim to be Mr Chablis with his vineyards, restaurant, tasting cellar and speciality food products.
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As president of the festival, he will be determined to make sure it is a success. It opens at 11am on February 6 with stalls selling food and wine while dignitaries settle down for a grand banquet. A ball in the evening is open to all but it is wise not to overindulge because Sunday is the big day.
Local choirs perform at a Mass in honour of St Vincent and then join a musical parade through the village with jazz bands and representatives from all 19 villages in the Chablis district. At noon the wine cellars open and visitors can go from one to another tasting the best examples of one of the most famous wines in the world while entertainers perform in the streets amid displays of all that is excellent in Chablis.
A ticket to the event costs €40 (£35) which includes wine tasting between noon and 5pm, a commemorative glass, souvenirs and a guaranteed table for lunch, which will be extra. Chablis lies close to the E15 autoroute south of Paris and is 15km from the historic riverside town of Auxerre, which is on a good train line from the Gare de Bercy in Paris.
Finding accommodation in Chablis for the weekend might be difficult but try Aux Lys de Chablis, a simple two-star close to Milly, or Le Vieux Moulin, a contemporary, boutique hotel owned by the Laroche wine family in the centre of town.
The Chablis tourist office assures me that it will be able to help callers to find accommodation, which might have to be in Auxerre, still a splendid place to stay. Should you end up there, check out local bus operators who will be running trips to the festival including entrance fees for a discounted €30.
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www.saint-vincent-milly-chablis.com
www.chablis.net — 00 333 8642 8080
www.aux-lys-de-chablis.com — 00 333 8642 4920
larochehotel.fr — 00 333 8642 4730