Bernache!

red wine grapes yet to be harvested

Right now it is a busy month for the vignerons with the vendange going full tilt. We don't notice it here in Charnizay. Apart from one small outpost near Bossay sur Claise all the vinyeards of the Touraine AOC are well to the north of us.

There is an added bonus to the vendange activities in September though: you can buy 'Bernache'. It's a name particular to the Loire which is given to the fresh fermenting grape juice. It is only available at this time and is a real treat. About 5% alcohol, it is cloudy, often very unctuous and sweet. As it matures it changes, losing a bit of its sweetness and gaining a vague hint of the wine it will become. Vague for ordinary people like us. Expert vignerons can tell from the older Bernache what their wine will be like--but it takes a trained palate & experience. Sometimes you can find Bernache in your local supermarket; we go to the Co-op at Francueil and buy a few bottles of wine as well.

bottles of bernache

There's nothing fancy about it. It's sold 'en vrac'; not bottled. You either bring your own container(s) or they'll fill re-cycled bottles for you. 1ltr 1/2 Cristaille water bottles seemed to be the re-cycled bottle of choice. It's rather like going to a filling station for gas. You line up and they squirt the Bernache into your bottles from a large gleaming and chilled vat. In the bottle it looks like cloudy apple juice. They make a small hole in the bottle cap before handing it to you to allow the natural fermentation gases to escape; so you need to keep the bottle(s) upright. It is good practice to wedge the bottle(s) securely for the drive home. Otherwise after the 1st bend you come to you'll find your car awash with sweet sticky Bernache and smelling like a winery! 

Niall: vine photography in action

Chatting to the lass who was manning the bernache 'pump' we heard that the vendange is proceeding reasonably well, despite the heavy rains last Sunday. The rosé Bernache, made from the red wine grapes is due in a good week or so, which means we will be going back for some of that. After all, it is a speciality which you can only enjoy for a brief time.


[apologies for the fuzziness of bernache bottle pic. We were in a rush as the bottles were going to a friend]