About Hetényi grapes and the harvest

Grape varieties grown in Hetény since the 1800s: Cétényi, Otelló, Fehér Otelló, Rizling, Irsai Olivér. ; Fehér Oteló is a drooping grape, the grapes fell off easily. At harvest time, the boys, if they wanted to attract attention, would poke the staked grapes with a stick on their back. So the girls had to pick the grapes from the ground as well. (In the past, grape growing was done in rows, now grapes are mostly grown on cordons). ; The harvest started early in the morning. The harvesters went out of the village to the vineyards in a horse-drawn cart. On this was the large wooden tub. The men carried the grapes into it with a stick on their back. From the cart it went to the wine cellar. My grandmother had vineyards in 3 places: in Kövecses (here the grapes sloped in two directions), in Homoktag and in Szőlőkfölé. ; The whole family took part in the harvest. Since it lasted until evening, they had bacon and sausages for lunch at the vineyard. The eldest of the family stayed at home, he cooked lunch: duck soup, roast duck. When the grapes were harvested, they were taken to the wine house on a cart. My great-grandfather's wine house was already on the current row of wine houses. These were also built of adobe, with a straw or reed roof. They had one room, where the grapes were processed. From the cart, the grapes were again carried to the mill using cans. Then the sugar content was measured. ; In the past, there were good grape harvests, and the ice was less frequent and the grapes froze. Farmers usually sprayed it with copper galicium. ; The Riesling was harvested last. After this, the harvest parade and fun were held. During the parade, the harvest wreath was carried on a horse-drawn carriage, which was made of selected Riesling grapes and contained approximately 50 kilos of grapes. The marchers dressed in folk costumes and marched through the village singing and dancing. In the evening, the harvest wreath was the main prize at the fun. ; (More in the video attachment.)