Definition: Saint-Vincent Tournante

The Saint-Vincent Tournante is a major event in the Burgundy winter calendar. A village beautifully decorated by its inhabitants, a colourful parade-procession with the banners of mutual aid societies, the costumes of brotherhoods and statues of saints, a religious service, enthronements, the opportunity to taste the Saint-Vincent vintage, all in a joyful atmosphere that often continues into the night: this is what the Saint-Vincent celebration is all about today.

The Saint-Vincent Tournante, a ceremony with great pomp and circumstance
Always scheduled for the end of January, the Saint-Vincent Tournante event is an opportunity to take part in an event of symbolic importance for the region's wine-growing community. Burgundy has 80 Saint-Vincent societies (mutual aid societies founded to help their members in need). Originally created in the Middle Ages under the auspices of the Church, each Saint-Vincent society has since been placed under the protection of its patron saint, whose statue is proudly carried during the procession. This expression of corporate solidarity between winegrowers, imbued with a certain religious fervour and followed by pagan festivities, may surprise visitors, who will quickly be swept away by the infectious warmth of the participants.

On 22 January, every village celebrates Saint Vincent's Day
Saint Vincent's Day is the highlight of the festivities that took place the previous week in all the wine-growing villages of Burgundy. Every year on 22 January, each wine-growing village celebrates Saint Vincent's Day. Some events are small gatherings of a few close friends, while others are veritable feasts to which all visitors to the village are invited. Reflecting the diversity of Burgundy's wines, the Saint Vincent's Day ceremony is celebrated differently in each village.
On this day, the statue of the saint, carried in procession and held by the family that led the society during the past year, is handed over to the family that will do the same for the coming year. Some villages have preserved the traditional rituals of Saint Vincent's Day (the procession followed by a mass and a gathering of the families of winegrowers who are members of the local mutual aid society). Afterwards, a large pig feast in honour of Saint Vincent is usually shared.

A festival revived by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin
Traditional Saint Vincent celebrations had declined in the 1930s. Only a few villages still organised a pig feast and a tasting of the special vintage. Aware of the impact of these traditions on the social cohesion of winegrowers and the media impact on the image of Burgundy wines, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin revived these Saint-Vincent-related events. In 1938, it organised the first large-scale Saint-Vincent Tournante in Chambolle-Musigny.
This celebration, repeated year after year, was designed to revive the Saint-Vincent festivities in the villages. The movement gained momentum and since then, each year, a different village organises the Saint-Vincent celebration, welcoming mutual aid societies from all over Burgundy.

Read "The Saint-Vincent Tournante - a Burgundy wine tradition" in English: link below.

The 71st Saint-Vincent Tournante de Bourgogne will be held in Mâcon on 24 and 25 January 2009. For the first time in its history, this event, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors, will take place in southern Burgundy, in the heart of the Mâcon appellation.
After Saint-Romain, Montagny, Meursault, Gevrey-Chambertin, etc., the Union des Producteurs de Vin de Mâcon (UPVM) is taking charge of this prestigious event. Chosen to organise the 2009 edition by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, the UPVM intends to promote the Mâcon appellation. It will showcase its white and red wines, which are produced on 4,000 hectares and represent 250,000 hectolitres. 15% red and 85% white, which ripen on the hills of the Mâconnais.
Saint-Vincent will be held in three iconic locations: the village of Chardonnay, of course, Pierreclos and its magnificent château, and, naturally, Mâcon, located halfway between Paris and Marseille, one hour from Geneva and 40 minutes from Lyon.

Information is available on the official websites at the following links: