The annual wine festival, the Saint Vincent Tournante, will be hosted by the Burgundy village of Corgoloin on the 29th and 30th January, 2011. Corgoloin is one of the villages that make up the Côte de Nuits appellation.
The Saint Vincent Tournante dates back to the middle ages to pay homage to the patron saint of winemakers, Saint Vincent of Saragossa. The festivities had almost disappeared until the founders of the "Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin", wine brotherhood, relaunched the tradition in Burgundy in 1934. By the end of the 1990?s, the festival was so successful that it attracted over 100 000 people over the weekend, making the event unmanageable logistically and financially.
Today, the festival has been reduced in size, but there were
still some 40,000 visitors last year for the Saint Vincent
Tournante 2010 in Chassagne Montrachet.
During the festival, a procession is led through the selected
village on foot, with each of the 80 wine brotherhoods
"confréries" being represented by people in costume and their
statues of Saint Vincent. The procession is followed by a
religious mass and a traditional meal of pig for the families of
the members of the brotherhoods.
The other big event of the weekend is the wine tasting of the wines selected for the Saint Vincent Tournante.
If you are planning on going, make sure you reserve your accommodation well in advance!
More information on the Saint Vincent Tournante can be found on the following site:
