Antonin Rodet welcomes the Saint-Vincent de Mercurey

he statue of Saint Vincent from the mutual aid society of Mercurey has been given to the Antonin Rodet wine house for safekeeping for the period of one year. This is an important moment for the wine world and for Antonin Rodet, which will be looking after it for the first time in its history. 

Receiving the statue of the patron saint of winegrowers is always a special moment for the community and an honor for the estate in question. 

The ceremony is unchanged since 1956: A mass is followed by a reception, with wine served by the statue’s recipient, before a banquet in the village hall organized by the Brotherhood of Saint-Vincent and the Chanteflûte de Mercurey.

The estate’s winemaker, Anne-Laure Hernette, has been in charge of the statue since an official reception at the Clos Antonin Rodet on 18 January 2020.

The estate acquired its first vines in 1887 by Antoine Rodet in the midst of the phylloxera crisis. He settled in Mercurey, confident there would be a renaissance of one of the oldest terroirs in Burgundy, promoting it tirelessly throughout his life. 

The wooden statue was sculpted in 1956 by a Mr. Secret, who worked in a cooperage.