Vendanges

Many of the villages like to show off old farming equipment as street ornaments. For this area, farming means, in the main, wine growing. 

The vendanges, (wine grape harvest), has begun for this year and over the next four weeks a years work will be harvested. They are talking about this year being poor. Too much rain at the beginning, too much sun towards the end. We shall have to see, but in general I think farmers are farmers and are never happy with the season.

The old equipment in the picture isn't the hardest piece to guess. It's a wine press. there is no room for these in the modern wine production methods so at least they have a second life as street furniture.