Definition: Saint Vincent

Even the name itself is prophetic. Wine is likened to blood (Vin – Sang), or wine without water (O Vincent O), or wine that smells (Vin-sent), or wine that is worth a hundred (Vin-cent). Perhaps because he was a deacon, Vincent offered wine to God on the altar, or perhaps because he was one of the most tortured martyrs, crushed under the wine press and offering his blood to God?

Where does this winegrowing tradition come from?
It was around 1480 that the right of winegrowers to form guilds first appeared in Dijon. At that time, a winegrower was someone who worked the land and tended the vines, as opposed to the owner. And guilds were gatherings for spiritual support.
Later, winegrowers organised themselves into guilds, with more social demands. From the 14th century onwards, for example, there are records of demands for an 8-hour working day, and in the 15th century, winegrowers' guilds even called for the "English week".
Although winegrowers at the time chose a saint from the calendar to intercede on their behalf, not all of them venerated Saint Vincent. Spain and Alsace preferred Urban I, who had been pope, while Switzerland relied on Saint Theodule and Saint Othmar. Northern Italy invoked Saint Gras, and Germany was divided between Saint Urban and Saint Cyriacus.
It is not clear why Vincent became the patron saint of winegrowers.
A deacon in Zaragoza in the early 4th century, he was martyred on the orders of Prefect Dacian in Valencia and died tortured on a grill on 22 January. This is the date on which he appears in the calendar. Several legends and symbols are associated with him. The best known of these legends claims that Saint Vincent stopped at the edge of a vineyard to talk to the winegrowers who were working there, and his donkey grazed on the young shoots. The deacon was molested for this. But when the legend continues at the next harvest, the vine stock grazed by the donkey is said to have produced more than the others. Saint Vincent's donkey had invented pruning!

Throughout history, his relics have been found in a number of religious sites. Since Childebert's conquest of Spain, his relics have been deposited, among other places, at the abbey in Paris called Saint Vincent's Abbey, which later became Saint Germain's Abbey. The churches of Le Mans, Dun-le-Roi in Berry, Castres, Vitry-le-François, Macon, Viviers-en-Vivarais and Metz are all sites where the first vineyards were established. Today, there are no fewer than fifty towns and villages in France bearing the name of Saint Vincent. Many associations can be mentioned that make this figure the symbol (Saint Bol) of the wine-growing and wine-producing realm. These include the following associations:

Vincent and the Religious
Saint Vincent is usually depicted as a deacon wearing a chasuble. His fame led to a mystical devotion linked to the power of his victory over evil, offering maximum protection for a product as precious and fragile as the vine. Hundreds of richly decorated statues can be found in many blessed places from Lorraine to Bordeaux, Burgundy and other prestigious regions.

Vincent and objects and emblems The saintis depicted adorned with various objects and signs such as a bunch of grapes, a wooden bowl, a cooper's pot, a pruning knife, a bontemps, a crozier, a Bible, an olive branch, a tastevin, a mitre, a chasuble, etc.

Vincent and wine festivals
There are many of these, dotted throughout the local festival calendar. The most famous, of course, takes place on 22 January each year in Burgundy: the Saint Vincent Tournante. A number of villages between the Côtes de Nuits, Côtes de Beaune and Côtes Chalonnaises take turns to organise a celebration worthy of the great festive events dedicated to vines and wine.

Vincent and the wine brotherhoods
We will mention only the most famous ones, which express the most exceptional devotion, such as the following brotherhoods:
Confrérie des Compagnons de Saint Vincent et disciples de la chante flûte (Mercurey);
Confrérie des Vignerons de Saint Vincent de Bourgogne et de Mâcon;
College of Canons of Tannay Brotherhood of Saint Vincent of the Winegrowers of the Canton of Tannay (Nièvre);
Brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin;
The Commandery of Bontemps du Medoc and Graves;
The Brotherhood of the Pillars of Chablis;
The Brotherhood of the Knights of the Henry IV Vine;
Vincent and popular sayings:
There are so many that we will only quote a limited selection from the region, worthy of a tour of France:
Charente: "When Saint Vincent is clear and beautiful / There is wine like water"
Loiret: "If Saint Vincent's Day is cloudy / The wine will double"
Moselle: "On Saint Vincent's Day / If the sun shines brightly / Like a hat / We will have wine / filling the barrel"
Vosges: "When the weather is fine on Saint Vincent's Day / The winegrower goes off singing"
Aube: "Saint Vincent clear, and Saint Paul cloudy / put wine in the flask."
Côte d'Or: "Take care on Saint Vincent's Day / because if on that day you see and feel / that the sun is clear and beautiful / we will have more wine than water."
Bouches-du-Rhône: "Clear dawn on Saint Vincent's Day / Plenty of fruit for everyone."
This is undoubtedly where Saint Vincent has the most references, with an impressive number of sayings that influence the weather across all French vineyards.

Very comprehensive documentation on 120 saints famous in wine can be found on the website at the following link: