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word of day For Members

French word of the day: Vendange

The Local France
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French word of the day: Vendange
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond "

It’s harvesting season so is there a better time to learn about the French wine-making process?

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Why do I need to know vendange?

Because wine is such an important part of the French culture that knowing its vocabulary is almost an obligation.

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What does it mean?

Vendange is the French word for “grape harvest”.

Its plural form is the one used the most since it refers to the grape harvesting season as a whole, generally happening from September to October.

When used in singular form, it’s a bit more specific and designates a “grape crop” as in “his grape crop was too bad to be sent to the dealer”.

The verb vendanger is the action of picking grapes.   

Know that it’s a term proper to the wine world and that it’s not used for any other fruit. For apples, pears etc use the words récolte or cueillette.

Use it like this

C’est la saison des vendanges - It’s wine harvest season

Ce vin est issu d’une vendange tardive - This is a late-harvest wine"

Synonyms

Cueillette - Collection

Récolte - Harvest

Moisson - Harvest (used for cereals)

Glanage - Gathering

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