26 September 2009
A few scenes from the Touraine vineyards:
Inviting family and friends to pick is an increasing feature of the Touraine region, especially for part-time producers or those with a special parcel to pick. Over this weekend there were a number of groups of pickers out in the vines. This series of pictures comes from the vineyards of James Marchais in Epeigné-les-Bois. On this Saturday the team of pickers were cutting Cabernet Franc destined to be made into Crémant de Loire by the cooperative in Francueil. The regulations for Crémant required that the grapes are picked by hand.
Ready to pick Cabernet small bins out for picking Cabernet Franc for Crémant de Loire 
Important to ensure that you are comfortable.........
Picking Cabernet Franc for Crémant de Loire@26th September 2009 
Cabernet Franc
James preparing to pick up the boxes of harvested grapes••
Antoine Simoneau with his 2009 Pinot Noir, which is still fermentingWe dropped into see the Simoneau family in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher. With Antoine I tasted various vats of Touraine Sauvignon in various stages of fermentation. All seemed promising – clean, good weight and a freshness in the finish – except for one vat with grapes that had been picked after the rain of around 16th September, which didn't have the same clean precision. My guess is that will be sold off to a négoce. We also tasted Antoine's 2009 Pinot Noir – the first time he has vinified a pure Pinot.
Domaine de la Haute-Clemenercie
