About Fête de la Vinée

By car: A89 motorway, Bergerac exit. Parking in the city center.
By train: Bergerac SNCF station, a 10-minute walk away.

The Fête de la Vinée is a traditional celebration organized by the Consulat de la Vinée of Bergerac, a wine brotherhood whose origins date back to 1322. Every summer in July, a solemn procession crosses the town, accompanied by brass bands, followed by a fire-marking ceremony of barrels on the loading dock and the induction of new members. The festival perpetuates the centuries-old tradition of the Vinée, a medieval term designating the Bergerac wine region.

Travel to this festival

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A wine tradition since 1322

The Fête de la Vinée has its roots in the medieval history of Bergerac. On January 16, 1322, Renaud de Pons, lord of Bergerac, granted the consuls the right to apply a fire mark – a griffin's paw – on Bergerac wine barrels. The consuls set the date of the grape harvest and only allowed wines from vineyards belonging to the burghers to enter the city.

The Consulat de la Vinée reborn in 1954

Disappeared during the Revolution, this tradition was symbolically recreated in 1954 by the interprofession of Bergerac and Duras wines. The Consulat de la Vinée de Bergerac, a brotherhood representing the 13 appellations of the Bergeracois, has since inducted nearly 2,435 members.

A solemn and festive celebration

The festival begins with a Consulat procession through the town, accompanied by brass bands. On the loading dock, the fire-marking of barrels ceremony perpetuates the ancestral gesture. The induction of new members completes this day which celebrates the wines and the wine heritage of Bergerac.