The legend of Meslande


The first millennium of our area is over. The monks of Marmoutier have been building the priory of Mesland for ten years.

But now a great drought came upon the land drying out the beautiful country of Mesland.
This long dryness had changed the Loire into a dry and sinister furrow where the bed of the river was now mostly dried out cracked soil. Country people and their animals are thirsty. The meagre crops are no longer sufficient to feed the population or their animals.

Suddenly one very hot afternoon, appeared a huge crack in the ground growing under the sun rays and swallowing the few animals still alive.
Some charlatans predicted the end of the world saying that the change of millenniums will be fatal to this old world.
Facing these events always more powerful than them, the country people decided to leave their land for other places where they thought the skies would bring them more rain.
But not all the wine growers agreed, some unwilling to sacrifice the vineyards with so generous a past.
So, the more courageous or uncaring ones did not need to regret their decision of staying behind as, one morning, at sunrise, a huge noise was to be heard coming from the erstwhile river, summoning all the inhabitants of the area still present to the banks of the river...

Suddenly, this muffled snore (...) transformed itself softy into a groan which grew and became in turn a sharp and persistent growl. The soil shook under the country people's and wine grower's feet.
Then a long spasmodic death rattle was heard all down the valley.

Without any rational explanation, coming from nowhere.
Water sprang up from the bottom of the bet, sweeping away stones and gravel.
A titanic strength drove this rush, as if an invisible reserve had given way under a mysterious pressure, as if the river leaked its waters for birth, for a revival.
The wine growers, first afraid then bemused and finally delighted, had to pull themselves together and quickly flee the bank of the Loire to avoid being carried away by the increasing flood which kept swelling and once again filling the river to it's shoves.
They all sheltered on the heights and witnessed this big and beautiful flood.
In living memory, no such phenomenon had been known.

This fertile and thirsty ground soaked up immediately this providential flood and quickly set again the river flowing vigorously.
On witnessing this the wine growers and farmers climbed down toward the river, as if lured dy this very capricious Loire now majestic once again. Everything was quiet and they knew they had nothing more to be afraid of from the river.
However, they were not at the end of their surprise. The current was flowing again when, mysteriously, the quiet and clear water split in its centre to create a large whirlpool, letting the bed of the river appear.
Under their stupefied eyes, they saw appearing in the middle of this circle a blurred shape transforming itself slowly into a fine silhouette. This silhouette set off toward the bank where the wine growers were standing, silent and anxious, confronting this new mysterious phenomenon. The water split to release the long white shape. When it arrived level with the wine growers, it was definitely transformed, and the men, dumbfounded, saw before them a superb naiad of sculptural shape, whose hair looked like a huge bunch of grapes.
She spoke to the wine growers in these words "I am the favourite of Dionysus and I have come alive again for you. I bring back to you this water with incomparable virtues to save you from starving and soon more water, acosmic quantity, will come for you fields and your vineyards. It will give you bread and wine in abundance and quality. Look at these animals who are following me, the dryness had taken them from you, I'm bringing then back to you.

If Dionysus sent me there, it's because your land is in harmony with the vine and your country is worthy of a great wine and you must preserve and cherish it. Be able to live in peace and pass on your knowledge to attract to yourselves the benefaction of heaven and earth.
This vineyard is in some way the child of Dionysus and me. A child you are going to bring up every year.
I shall come back every year at the same time to taste the wines you'll have mode and to be sure the wines and the land are preserved".
They followed her with their eyes till she disappeared back in the bed of Loire.
The waters swallowed up her trail.
They knew they were safe and saved now. A beautiful storm, sweet, warm, cosmic had now started and which would last for three full days and nights.
The disaster stuck vineyards were green again and the craps abundant, and the wine had never been so good before.
The wine growers vowed to tell what they had just experienced and decided to call this muse: MESLANDES
The wine growers did not forget: MESLANDES' words and everyone of them wanted to be proud for her future annual visits.
They wanted to be able to show her the most beautiful vineyard and to make the fragrances issuing from the wine of Meslandes charm the whole valley.
They knew they had in their hands Meslandes' child and had to insure its education. It is said that, during some nights of full moon, some wine growers are seen as they thread their way among their rows of vine practising secret rituals in order to secure the favours of the beautiful Meslandes.
Did she answer these mysterious advances?
Did she come to deliver some alchemical formulas for the wine of Mesland in order to develop in it all it's fragrances.
Were children to be seen with air the colour of grapes more than in order countries?
All questions without answers.
Also, since then, every year, when the flowering of the vine is over, to announce the coming grape harvest the country people all attend an important feast to celebrate the coming of MESLANDES to her land.
Walking from their vineyards to the banks of the Loire the long procession of wine growers ceremoniously throw into the flowing water of the Loire vine leaves and call upon the muse's to once again come out of the river to protect her wine. Child and the grapes tell harvest time.
"The legend is available at the wine - growers of the appellation TOURAINE MESLAND"