La Paulée de Meursault is a lunch celebrating the end of the

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

harvest in

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.Steinberger, Mike, ''Slate.com'' (December 15, 2006)
Days of Wine...and More Wine
/ref> Originally, the celebration included only

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...

s, cellar workers, and the surrounding community. It has since evolved to become an international

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

event, and an integral part of ''Les Trois Glorieuses'', which also includes a charity auction held at the

Hospices de Beaune The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in Beaune, France. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, one ...

and a formal dinner at the

Clos de Vougeot Clos de Vougeot, also known as Clos Vougeot, is a wall-enclosed vineyard, a ''Clos (vineyard), clos'', in the Burgundy wine region, and an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) for red wine from this vineyard. It was named for the River V ...

. Approximately 700 people attend the lunch, held in the Château de Meursault. The event was formally organized in the mid-1920s by the Count Lafon and Jacques Prieur. Traditionally, the winemakers would compete to bring the best bottle of wine to impress their favorite clients. In the modern era, Dominique Lafon, grandson of Count Lafon, participates in and helps organize the event.

Other Paulées

Since 2000,

Daniel Johnnes Daniel Johnnes (born 1955 in Manhattan, New York) is an American sommelier and wine entrepreneur, and longtime wine collaborator with Chef Daniel Boulud and his restaurant group. He is also known as the founder and host of La Paulée de New York an ...

has been hosting La Paulée de New York and La Paulée de San Francisco, which have been officially recognized by the organizers of the original La Paulée de Meursault. A celebration of the greatest

wines of Burgundy Burgundy wine ( or ') is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here, and those commonly referred to as "Burgundies", are dry red wi ...

, Johnnes' version of La Paulée features seminars, tastings, and wine-paired dinners, culminating in the Saturday Grand Tasting and Gala Dinner. The ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' has asserted that La Paulée "can reasonably be described as the greatest Bacchanalia on the face of the earth".

Etymology

The name "La Paulée" comes from the French word for sauté pan, ''poile''. In its earliest incarnations, the post-harvest meal was so simple that it was cooked in a single ''poile''.Stone, Larry, ''The Atlantic'' (January 21, 2011)
Traditional Burgundy Bacchanal Returns to New York City
/ref>

References

External links

Official website for La Paulée de New York
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Paulee de Meursault History of Burgundy Burgundy wine Wine-related events Food and drink festivals in France Wine festivals