Thomery

Thomery ) is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France, between the forest of Fontainebleau and the river Seine. Thomery station has rail connections to Montereau-Fault-Yonne, Melun and Paris.Over the centuries, Thomery has been home to the Chasselas of Thomery table grapes culture performed according to ancestral techniques on high walls. After harvesting, the grapes are disposed in especially designed bottles, filled with water and a charcoal piece, and stored over a period of several months in wine caves or cellars built inside the local houses. This technique allows the grapes to be sold after the Christmas season even as late as Easter with perfectly naturally preserved fruits. This tradition has been extremely popular in from 19th century to World War II, and was destinated to rich tables in Paris and beyond . The peak of production was in the 1920s with more than 800 tons of grapes a year cultured over a total 350 km of walls. The vine walls are still present in Thomery and have been classified in 1993 by the Monuments historiques. Nowadays, only a few inhabitants are still running the activity for local consumption.

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