Grenoble's Millesime Wine Festival
Every year Grenoble hosts an event featuring the best in French wine
Oct 24, 2008
Easily accessible yet exigent, this event takes a cultural approach to wine, bringing together conviviality, pleasure, and knowledge. During the last weekend, a wine producer's village opens its tents on the Place Victor Hugo, where for a 6 euro entrance fee, visitors will receive a keepsake glass for an afternoon of wine tasting.
Tastings Throughout Grenoble
During the festival, Grenoble hosts a number of events in a variety of settings. The entire city is discreetly involved. To know where the next event will take place, rely on a program and get there a little early. Some events are even free, so places can fill up quickly.
The Millesime (French for 'vintage') pays special attention to important dates that have marked musical history and the 2008 edition pays tribute to timely composers. This year, the festival celebrates Johann Sebastien Bach for his Toccata and Fugue in d minor, composed in 1708. On a more local note, the Millesime also pays tribute to Olivier Messiaen, born in 1908 in Avignon. Why celebrate Messiaen in Grenoble? Upon his death, he chose to be buried in the mountainous region and it was here that he composed most of his life's work.
Highlights of the city wide event include:
- Evening concerts with wine tastings led by local sommeliers.
- Book signings with wine passionate authors. 2008's big event is the launch of a wine themed manga, Les Gouttes de Dieu.
- Special wine showcases and tastings at partner restaurants in and around Grenoble.
At the Wine Producer's Village, Place Victor Hugo
During the last weekend of the festival, the Wine Producer's Village invites visitors into a wine lover's paradise. Producers from all over France flock to Place Victor Hugo, in the heart of Grenoble to share the love of their work with fine tuned palettes as well as with neophytes. Each year, the festival chooses to highlight a particular wine producing region of France.
When people think of French wines, Corsican fermentations usually do not top the list. That's why this year's festival features the Island of Beauty's best wines with special workshops dedicated to these often misunderstood vintages and varietals. Everyone knows Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, but how many people can say they have tasted Vermentinu or Sciaccarellu, a varietal only found in Corsica?
Some of the activities that can be found at the Wine Producer's Village include:
- A unique program of tasting workshops, ranging from beginners' tastings to thematic presentations.
- The Olfactory Exhibit, a multi-sensory invitation to the world of wine noses.
- Acoustic concerts throughout the day: jazz, chamber music, and traditional folk music take center stage as a statue of Hector Berlioz watches over the musicians.
- Wine producers presenting over a hundred wines ranging from big names like Bordeaux and Burgundy to lesser known Savoie whites and Corsican blushes.
- On site restaurants offering traditional fare—anything from foie gras to escargot, perfectly paired with an Alsace Tokay Pinot Gris or a crisp Riesling.
