Saint Vincent 2012 wine festival

28 and 29 January 2012

This year marks the 68 th anniversary of this event - a little different from previous years but keeping the same spirit of tradition, culture and friendliness.

What makes this event particularly special is that in 2012 it focuses on 3 centres of the Burgundy wine business: Beaune, Nuits St.Georges and Dijon.

The theme of this year’s festival is to highlight the “climats de Bourgogne”, those different wine growing areas which have made Burgundy so famous and for which an application has been submitted for classification within the UNESCO world heritage sites.

Over the past, it was normally a single village which acted as host for this great winegrowers’ festival – not only the men but also the women winegrowers! – and visitors from all over the world could admire the village decorated by its inhabitants: in fact, a homage to the village and its appellation for one full weekend.

In 3 towns, a visitor this year will be able to discover 7 winegrowing regions of Burgundy – an exciting journey through the Chablisien-Auxerrois, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise as far as the Mâconnais, indeed a great opportunity to become familiar with the Crémants de Bourgogne and the other regional appellations represented: Burgundy celebrated by its variety!

All the wines concerned by the different areas may be tasted in marquees especially erected for this purpose.

The “climats de Bourgogogne” are the real hosts this year: a strip of land known for 2000 years and located between Beaune, Nuits St.Georges and Dijon, they represent a cluster of paradises on earth to be preserved for future generations and vital in order to be eligible for UNESCO world heritage classification.

Not only will the 2012 festival be an opportunity to appreciate the historical aspects of the wine trade over the ages but also the street entertainment and exhibitions in the villages.

The traditional Saint Vincent parades, headed by the Chevaliers du Tastevin, will take place simultaneously on the Saturday morning in the 2 towns of Beaune and Dijon, before the church services in Notre Dame and St.Bénigne respectively.

In true gallic custom, there is no great occasion without a banquet! In Dijon, this will be served in the Cellier de Clairvaux on Saturday 28 January at 1900hrs (reservations to be made in advance); the menu will be prepared by JP Billoux of the Pré aux Clercs restaurant in Dijon.

As unique as the “climats de Bourgogne”, it should be remembered that the 2012 Saint Vincent festival, in true tradition, is a homage to the spirit of solidarity and mutual aid of the winegrowing community.

Our wish is that everybody will heartily enjoy the 2012 festival during the weekend in January and that all the features which characterize Burgundy, this superb land and its wine culture, will forever be remembered.

Marie Françoise Audoin

 

Practical information

  • It is necessary to purchase a "tasting kit" in order to sample all the wines available: this will be sold on site on 28 and 29 January for 15 Euros.
  • Special commemorative, engraved wine glasses may be purchased in local tourist offices and some shops at the price of 30 Euros per set of 6 glasses or 7 Euros each.

Program of the festival :

Every year since 1938, a wine producing village has been appointed to organize the Saint Vincent tournante wine festival and act as host to all the fellowships and mutual societies in Burgundy.

This is a festival full of tradition as it evokes, through its processions among other features, both the religious and social history of the winemaking corporation.

Saint-Vincent Tournante 2012
Wine festival
68th year

This traditional Burgundy festival will be different this year, in that the theme will focus on the candidacy of the "climats de Bourgogne" for classification within the UNESCO world heritage.

The festival will be centered on the 3 towns of Dijon, Nuits St.Georges and Beaune.

Visitors will be able to discover a range of Burgundy wines from the historical "climats" by the means put at their disposal for tasting and information.

This Burgundy wine area has been working for almost 4 years now, on its application to be listed as a UNESCO world heritage site which can be justified by the worldwide reputation of its appellations, and, an extraordinary heritage and consistency in its cultivation skills over 2000 years.

Prices

Tasting kit at 15 Euros per person: this comprises a commemorative 2012 festival wineglass; map showing the different cellars; a bracelet with 7 markers which will give the right to taste all the appellations available on each site; notebook with information on where wines may be tasted and other points of interest. The kit will be on sale for the 2 days of the festival, only.

Tranport

In partnership with the SNCF (French railways), the 3 towns may be accessed by rail for holders of a daily pass costing 5 Euros.

Holders of the pass wishing to travel by the special trains in service especially for the festival can purchase the train ticket at 12 Euros from the points of sale located outside each station.

The Saint Vincent fellowships

These fellowships started in the Middle Ages, were disbanded during the revolution and reappeared during the 19th century ; they are in fact winegrowers mutual societies, widely active today, mostly under the patron saint of Saint Vincent although in some villages the patron saint may be different, for example Marsannay, where the patron saint is Saint Martin.

Saint Vincent is celebrated on, or around, 22 January and the custom in each village is to move the statue of Saint Vincent to another winegrower's house where it will remain for one year.

It is an occasion for winegrowers and their friends to get together and it was in 1938 that the first "St.Vincent tournante" in the form that it exists today, was introduced by the Chevaliers du Tastevin; since this time, the festival has been organized by a different village almost every year and acts as host to all the other fellowship - mutual societies.

The festival is controlled by the company of the Chevaliers du Tastevin which ensures that the traditions are respected.

In 2012, no less than 85 fellowships will be taking part in the St.Vincent festival.

What is a "climat"?......you find them only in Burgundy!

As Bernard Pivot, the president of the support group for the UNESCO world heritage candidacy, once said: "when the word climat is uttered in Burgundy one doesn't look in the air but looks down to the ground"; the signifance is that the word "climat" evokes in Burgundy, the history, its geology and topography, all the ancestral skills of winemaking.......etc.

The "climats" in Burgundy are well defined plots of land, some with the same name since the Middle Ages and used only for growing vines and which the nature of the soil, its orientation and micro-climate constitute the unique characteristics and "personality" of the appellation.

These "climats" have given birth to a multitude of wines known the world over.

Partenaire :