Fête de la Saint-Vincent de Chablis

The Saint-Vincent de Chablis: The Grand Festival of the Chablis Winegrowers

Every last weekend of January, when the vines are dormant and the stocks are just waiting for spring pruning, the Chablis vineyard celebrates Saint-Vincent, the festival of the patron saint of winegrowers. Known as the Saint-Vincent Tournante du Chablisien, this event is one of the most vibrant expressions of Burgundian wine tradition in the Yonne.

A Tradition Born in 1938, Rooted in Chablis Since 1966

The Saint-Vincent Tournante is a Burgundian tradition created in 1938 by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, with the idea of rotating the festival of the patron saint of winegrowers from one wine village to another each year. In the Chablis vineyard, this tradition was inaugurated in 1966 thanks to the Confrérie des Piliers Chablisiens. Since then, each village or wine-producing commune in Chablis hosts the ceremony in turn, hence the adjective "tournante" (rotating).

The Program of the Celebration

The Saint-Vincent Tournante du Chablisien follows a codified sequence inherited from centuries of winegrowing tradition:

• Solemn mass in the church of the host village, in the presence of the members of the Confrérie des Piliers Chablisiens in traditional costume
• Procession through the village streets with the statue of Saint Vincent and the banners of the communes
• Procession of the Confrérie with its dignitaries, knights, and ladies
• Grand tasting of the wines of the Chablis appellation and other AOCs of the Chablis vineyard (Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis Grand Cru)
• Gala dinner for the winegrowers in the evening, bringing together the members of the confraternity and their guests

The Confrérie des Piliers Chablisiens

Founded to perpetuate and promote Chablis wines and the winegrowing traditions of the Yonne, the Confrérie des Piliers Chablisiens is the organizing force behind the Saint-Vincent tournante in Chablis. Wearing their vine aprons and ceremonial costumes, its members ensure the continuity of a ritual shared by all Burgundian wine confraternities.

Chablis, World Capital of Dry White Wines

At the heart of this vineyard, the town of Chablis (89800) is the world reference for dry white wines made from Chardonnay grown on Kimmeridgian soils. The Chablis vineyard has four levels of appellations: Petit Chablis, Chablis, 17 Premiers Crus, and 7 Grands Crus — Blanchot, Bougros, les Clos, Grenouilles, les Preuses, Valmur, and Vaudésir — whose names sound like a litany to any lover of Burgundy white wine. Saint-Vincent is an opportunity to pay homage to this exceptional terroir and to those who bring it to life.