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While the harvest has begun, Bertrand Richard is still faithful to his post. In Nogent-l’Abesse, in the Marne, he acts as a teacher in the rows of vines. For 40 years, he hasn’t missed this meeting for anything in the world.
In the vineyards, Laura and Bertrand team up. Face to face, an experienced picker and a beginner. “She follows the movement well, and I don’t have to go on her side”, comments Bertrand Richard. And when it comes to haircuts, Bertrand knows all about it. He has been harvesting for the Maison Dupuis-Maurois, south-east of Reims (Marne), for 40 years. Despite a few gashes on his hands, he’s been back every year. “I take holidays on purpose to do the grape harvest. With the atmosphere, you feel like you’re on holiday”he says.
The rest of the year, Bertrand is a truck driver. Here, he likes working in the open air, on this family farm that he has always surveyed. Once the morning is over, he stays to eat and sleep on the spot, like the other pickers. A service that few owners still offer. At the time of sitting down to eat, installed at the end of the table, Bertrand acts as patriarch. Now everyone hopes he will sign next year for a 41st year.