The traditional springtime festival to celebrate the flowering of the vine

The sumptuous wine that we have come to love begins its journey to our glass from the feeble plants in the vineyard. These vines grow tiny flowers that turn into the precious berries which are then crushed and pressed and fermented to be sealed off in the careful care of the wine bottles. The winegrowers and wine-makers of Bordeaux are well aware of the importance of these tiny buds and rightly plan to give them their due respect every other year.

Vinexpo is held in Bordeaux every two years and while the exhibition celebrates wines from all over the world, it ends with a celebration of the vine itself. The Fête de la Fleur is a springtime festival unique to Bordeaux in honor of the fleur or the flower of the vines. The Fête de la Fleur started in 1950 to strengthen the already existing springtime and harvest festivals. This festival eventually became very popular and adopted the name it has today in 1959.

The Commanderie du Bontemps is a brotherhood on the left bank of Bordeaux, who is responsible for creating and organizing events for the promotion of the Rive Gauche wines which are the wines from Graves, Medoc, Sauternes and Barsac mainly. The Fête de la Fleur is one of the festivals organized by this brotherhood at the beginning of the flowering season of the vines. The tiny white flowers of the vines are the first indicators of the quality and quantity of the harvest for the year. Though the dates for harvest shift depending on the ripeness of the grape, thanks to modern technology and scientific developments it has been proven that the ancient custom of harvesting 100 days after the white flowers bloom is in fact quite accurate. The Commanderie has thus kept an old Bordeaux tradition alive by relentlessly organizing this festival in the vineyards of the region during the flowering season in June.

We are proud to announce that this year, the Fête de la Fleur will be hosted by one of our select Wine Paths’ members, Château Malartic-Lagravière. This event will see over a thousand people arriving from all over the world to taste the wines of the region and pay homage to the vines which produce this fine product. Wine brokers, merchants and wine growers will all come together at the magnificent château to celebrate their love for wines and pay their respect to mother nature.

Château Malartic-Lagravière opens its doors to wine lovers and connoisseurs from all over the world who flock in in large numbers for a very exclusive and prestigious evening. This fête sees the biggest wine critics and movie stars taste incredible wine, as well as renowned Michelin star chefs who pair them with exquisite gastronomical delights from the kitchens of some of the most renowned restaurants of the region.

Celebrate the flowering season of the vines by contacting our local travel expert in Bordeaux and customize your visits to the best châteaux in the region for exciting tours, events and activities selected exclusively for you.

 

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