Definition: Saint Martin

Saint Martin is undoubtedly the second saint after Saint Vincent (22 January) to have his name and memory spread throughout the world of wine and winemaking.
Did you know that 3,600 parish churches bear his name and that there are more than 400 municipalities with the name Saint Martin? Our research has identified more than thirty wine-producing towns, not counting all the Martins and Saint Martins that form the name of a vineyard, château or estate.
Saint Martin owes his fame to his Hungarian origins, his military exploits in the Roman army, his conversion and miracles (the wine fountain of Marmoutier), sharing his cloak with a poor man, his episcopate in the diocese of Tours, but above all to the fact that he is associated with the last period of sunshine before the darkness of winter.

Saint Martin's summer was an occasion for libations on the anniversary of his death, 11 November. People ate goose and tasted Saint Martin's wine while dancing and singing, as if to better prepare themselves for the cold weather ahead.

Ancient tales recount various anecdotes:
Saint Martin is said to have been the first monk winegrower in Liguge near Poitiers. And it was thanks to his donkey, who loved delicacies, that the benefits of low and short pruning of vines were revealed.
The birth of wine-growing in the Touraine region is also attributed to Bishop Saint Martin, which explains why there are so many festivals dedicated to Saint Martin throughout the Touraine.
In Alsace, it is said that the first phase of wine fermentation begins on 11 November. Similarly, in the past, new wine was tasted 40 days before Christmas.
As for the winegrowers of the Dôle region, they were obliged to pay tithes. In Valais, 11 November marked the start of the late Riesling harvest.
11 November is also the winegrowers' festival in Dijon.
Martin, one of the most common names in France, has also given rise to other names, such as:
* La martinée, which is the tasting of new wine.
* Le mal de la Saint Martin, which means to have overindulged in wine.
* Il en tient une "martinée" means to be drunk.

There are countless wine-growing areas named after Saint Martin. It is impossible to list them all. Finally, let us mention the Château de Saint Martin in Côtes-de-Provence, as well as the Saint Martin church in Vevey (Switzerland), whose stained glass window in the choir of the nave masterfully depicts Saint Martin, painted by Ernest Biéler (1863-1948).