The vintage in Hunawihr, France, in 1972, stands alone for me: I “helped” one day with the harvest, in a light rain, and spent the afternoon taking photos instead.

I suspect I didn’t work hard or long enough as a field hand for the proprietor and his wife (who inherited the vineyard), but I did send them copies of these and other photos of that harvest to make up for my poor performance. It was the least I could do!

The photos show the process clearly enough, I think. Some people snip the bunches of grapes off the vines and fill small tubs. The small tubs are emptied into a larger carrier, then the grapes are transferred to basins on a cart for transfer to the press. From there, the process of turning juice into the delicious wines of Alsace begins!

First photo: the proprietor’s home is the one with the light-colored Renault in front of it. Of course!