Les Racines du Temple (bis)

A bit more about the art of pruning

Getting out of the city, even if it’s not very far out, and only for an afternoon, is always refreshing. There’s a sense of adventure in renting a car to set one’s sites on green grass and vines. The weather on Saturday 22 March (officially the day after the official beginning of Spring) was very ‘March’ - mad as a hatter, or in like a lion and out like a lamb (which remains to be seen).

The French refer to the often confusing and unpredictable weather of March as ‘les giboulées de mars’, where one moment it’s sunny and the next it’s pelting rain or hail, or swirling with snow. But just like Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh, we don’t much care what the weather is doing, as long as we’re out in it.

Sarments and pigeon house of Les Racines du Temple

I did an earlier piece on Les Racines du Temple, so I won’t go through all the background again. But that was our destination, with pruning our objective. So, we were a bit surprised when we arrived to discover the pruning had already been done. Instead, there was a detailed introduction to pruning given by Christophe Fangeux (who along with Jean-Marc Fleury is at the origin of Les Racines du Temple), which was attentively heard by those present, including a small child who seemed to have understood everything well enough to know which branches should be cut and which kept. And there was a dog named Pax. We became instant friends upon meeting, and so I was a bit distracted during the presentation on pruning, as Pax wanted to chase sticks. Or rather, sarments (the dead vine branches). She makes a brief appearance in the video below:

The art of pruning

Pruning a grapevine is an ancient ritual, as old as viticulture itself. It’s a dance between nature’s wild exuberance and human intention, a careful trimming that reveals the essence of the vine. You could think of it as a form of conversation, where the vine speaks in growth and energy, and we respond with the subtle art of restraint.

The why of pruning is simple, yet profound: it encourages the vine to focus its energies on the most fruitful and productive branches. Left to its own devices, the vine might sprawl out wildly, producing an abundance of leaves and shoots, but few grapes of worth. By cutting away the old, the unnecessary, the weak, and the superfluous, we redirect the vine’s vitality toward the creation of fruit.

But is it good for the vine? To prune is not to harm, but to guide. The vine, in its wild state, may grow in every direction, its energy scattered like sunlight through a forest canopy. Pruning, though, serves as a kind of benevolent discipline. It’s the paradox of nature: in order to flourish, we must sometimes let go. The vine doesn’t know it, but by removing parts of it, we encourage it to grow with intention, to concentrate its efforts where they matter most.

In this process, the vine becomes more than just a plant; it becomes a reflection of life itself. We too must prune: our time, our distractions, our energies. Growth demands sacrifice, and it is through this act of gentle trimming that we, too, come closer to our truest selves. So, yes, pruning is good for the vine — but perhaps, in some way, it is good for us as well…

In addition to the pruning atelier, there were very delicious breads from a bakery in the Essonne and jams, herbal teas, and pesto made from carrot tops from the farm Les Jardins Edulis. Back in Paris (having avoided the highways for the byways) we had a pasta feast with the carrot-top pesto and wines from here and there. The happy result of the art of pruning.

To explore the vineyards of Paris and find again that spring in your step that the promise of renewed life brings, we invite you to join us on a wine walk, cultural tour, or treasure hunt. Tis the season to be out and about in the burgeoning green and the blossoming, flowering, budding perfume of nature’s infinite colour palette. Santé!

My book, ‘The Hidden Vineyards of Paris’ (reviewed in Jancis Robinson’s wine blog, the Wine Economist, National Geographic Traveler UK, UK Telegraph) is available for purchase via our website and at anglophone bookshops and wine shops in Paris. You can also find it at the Musée de Montmartre and the Librairie Gourmande.