One day, a terrible storm of stones swept down on the vineyard.  Only a few ceps survived from this mineral hail-storm but the wine it was (going) to produce was (and still is) a real  nectar from the Gods.

An « Appelation d'orgine Contrôlée » (AOC) is not only a matter of soil (« terroir » would be
the French term) but a genuine tradition.  It is said in Saint-Jean that muscat has been
cultivated since the 10^th century.  Before 1948, only three wine-growers were producing a natural sweet wine by alcohol addition: they owned this precious right by anteriority (from their fathers, grand-fathers and forefathers).  The other wine-growers did have some small parcels of muscat but they could only use them for their own consumption !  And because this anteriority right was linked to parcels and not to people, these 3 wine-growers had a production limited to roughly fifteen hectolitres each (1 hectolitre = 2,75 bushels !).  Needless to say it was not much.  So, in 1948, they asked for the creation of the Appelation.  They obtained it and it has been for the benefit of the entire village.