Parisian Wine Celebrated in Montmartre Festival

A moment from last year's Montmartre Harvest Festival parade.D.R.A moment from last year’s Montmartre Harvest Festival parade.
Globespotters

Paris

Paris

The fabled Parisian district of Montmartre celebrates the arrival of the new vintage of the beloved Clos Montmartre wine with the Montmartre Harvest Festival, from Oct. 5 to 9.

The only Parisian vineyards still active exist because the government stepped in to support the recreation of the area’s original vines after a real estate development project threatened their existence early in the 20th century. The first vines were replanted in 1933.

During the festivities, the neighborhood fills with street musicians and singers, entertaining visitors who come to sample Clos Montmartre and a wide selection of wines from Aquitaine, Gard, the Drôme and other regions. Winemakers offer advice along with regional produce designed to accompany their wines. Since this year’s theme is “Islands,” rums from the Caribbean will also be among the refreshments.

Children are the focus of Kids’ Day, on Oct. 5. “It’s a totally fun and crazy banana day,” said Marie Audigier, the festival director and organizer — and she was being literal, as bananas are the theme of the day. “Chef Antoine Heerrah gives a workshop on how to cook bananas, and the children learn banana songs as well as take part in a banana barbecue.”

Children and adults alike will also enjoy the finale of the festivities, when members of the wine establishment, dressed in traditional costumes, march through the cobbled streets in a rousing parade dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.