Domaine les Enfants Sauvages
Nicholas et 11 510 Carolin Bantlin
Fitou Fitou
on the A9 between Narbonne and Perpignan, I drive from exit Leucate and a minute later we are on the road No. 9 We have a meeting in Fitou 5 km. Only 5 kilometers to come to Fitou, 5 miles, we did not find funny, 5 kilometers far too large billboards on the roadside, all cry aloud, "wine tasting and sales." Fitou looks a bit run down from à la "cheap tourism." That does not surprise me, yesterday I did some research on the Internet and the results do not impress and delight. Writes as the Regional Directorate of the landscape in the Languedoc-Roussillon in "Landscapes in the Aude: the highlights": "the level of the A9 motorway and the highway number 9 is determined in part by the wine. The current crisis of wine in a reduction of vines result, this is also encouraged by a premium (about 6,000 € per hectare, 2007). " Another example: on the website of the Municipality Fitou find information about the wine cooperative (the wine cellar of wine from Fitou and the link to it (www.cavefitou.com) This information is signed by the mayor of Fitou, so they are trustworthy.. Nichtsdestoweniger gives us the link information on "Building a bird cage," "Online Dating" and "Health and Beauty." This mayor is not alone with his bizarre website. The Society of the newspaper Midi Libre (leader for southern France, www.guidesdumidi.com) tells of a syndicate to defend the "Cru du Fitou" and leads us to the side-www.cru fitou.org. There we find information about "Fitness Wear", "Aerobic Fitness" and "Keep Fit". Fitou seems to be a real paradise. Nevertheless, we have come for the Garden of Eden. Ie, Nicholas and Carol Bantlin promised to show us their paradise, which was at our meeting on the organic trade fair "Millesime Bio 2008".
Paradise
It is not difficult, the home of Nicholas and Caroline Bantlin related to, "domain of the Wild Children, even the mayor makes advertised. He has let up signs so you can find better wine cellar, including a sign to the "wild children, organic farming." After several minutes, then we are already at the gates of the domain and see again the two young Germans Nicholas and Carol Bantlin. As with the last meeting, they are full of energy and lead us quickly into their paradise. In Fitou are their home and their wine cellar, their paradise is located 8 km away. I suggest to go with my car there. Impossible, the paradise is accessible only by jeep, so Nicholas can the Land Rover. We leave the city and after a few kilometers we turn on a runway. Step by step we leave civilization and eventually reach the "paradise" of Nicholas and Caroline Bantlin: an austere beauty, dry hills interspersed with colorful vineyards. I do not habitable building, a shed for farm equipment and a ruin. You are right, it is a paradise, but a very simple paradise. There is no running water, no electricity and no telephone. But they still work here.
Les enfants sauvages: Nicholas Bantlin
to olive and fruit trees are planted, they built the old walls again, they have cleared the way, they took care of the vineyards, they graze sheep, they have nice covered picnic area built-in short, they worked really here. Why two young German is such a remote place?
your career
She is an architect and he has taken over the family business from his father. They had the idea to buy a holiday home in southern France. Their search began in Fitou 1999, and anyone of them to the sheepfold told here above, which was for sale. You have visited the place and they were as if struck by lightning. So they bought their paradise, ie the building and 7.5 acres of land. The land consisted mainly vineyards, so they have made a second decision: they have become winemakers. That was complicated, two years of preparatory work were necessary, they had to organize their departure from Germany and they had to renovate the house they bought in Fitou. Yes, they needed a house in Fitou, because paradise was not suited for a life with two children. During these two years, Carol tries to training as a winemaker in Germany to make, that was a disaster. Since then she has educated himself with books such as "The wine, from heaven to earth" by Nicolas Joly. Nicholas was already followers of anthroposophy. Consequently, it was clear they were working biodynamic. In early 2001 they left Germany to finally settle in Fitou.
The first two years they were members of the cooperative of Salses le Chateau. Carolin 2003 starts an agricultural training in Rivesaltes.
Les enfants sauvages: Carol Bantlin
your internship, they will not join the winemakers Olivier Pithon. He has even looked at our vineyards and said that her 're crazy, why do not you make your own wine? ". We said we would have liked but we still lack so many things: knowledge, experience, a wine cellar, a wine, in short - everything. Three days later came a call from him and he said that he has created in his wine cellar a bit of room for us there and we could make our own wine. That was perfect, that was great to make wine with him, with all his good advice. But on the other hand, it was difficult also. Olivier Pithon lives 35 km away. So we have hired a refrigerated truck to transport the grapes. In the beginning we had to go every day and that was difficult with our two young children. In fact, 2003 was a hellish year for us, we were always at our limit. I was every day at school and came home at night, I could only work on weekends in the vineyard. Then there were money problems. We have therefore started again round belts for furniture manufacture, as Nicholas had made in Germany. In the basement we have set up the machine every morning and 5-7 we worked there. We then had breakfast with the kids and I went to school and Nicholas in the vineyard. »
The school
Carol has done their training in Rivesaltes. What has she learned about organic farming? Nothing, we have only talked about a reasonable fight, that we have learned how chemicals are used and in quantities that are more or less should be "reasonable." I have listened to but not included. The same was true of the biodynamic cultivation, it was not there. In our class had 20 students, all adults, people my age and one of them built in already organic. For others it was very interesting and they have visited us, our vineyards visited and we talked about organic and biodynamic farming. For them it was all new territory. Even our teacher was very interested in our project. He has never previously a biological estate Viewed from up close. For us it was the first time he has even brought us a bunch of nettles from the garden of his parents. »
Nicholas and Carol Bantlin and Fitou
and who are interested in the winery in Fitou for organic farming? "They laughed at us a bit because wine and organic, that does not work, you have to fight the weeds, it must be injected. Nevertheless, there was a winery in Fitou, Mr Fabre, who has supported us and helped. Thanks to him we never had real problems with the other wineries, not even when we have our own wine produced and sold. Sure we have our wine growers Wines can taste, they were very friendly, they have made us compliments, he is very good, excellent, they were really surprised. They say that our wines are very good but neither the old nor the young change their behavior. »
The crisis in Fitou
Change winery in Fitou not. This is a shame, because the crisis in Fitou continues. "The price of a vineyard with quality wine from Fitou (AOC) currently costs 5 to 10 thousand € per hectare, which is nothing compared with other regions (on average costs of 1 hectare of vineyard quality wine around 80 thousand €), it is not much when one considers the premium to be paid by 5 thousand €. The old ones will stop and the young do not take, no one wants to buy vineyards. In the cooperative, it has become narrow, the barrels are full, the wine is selling poorly and the wine growers get paid almost nothing, currently 30 cents per liter. For yourself because there is nothing left. But still nothing changes. The quality and quantity remain the same. Better would be a reduced amount and increased quality. »
Wines
On the domain of the Wild Child, the yield is not very high. You have 10 hectares of vineyards and 8.5 hectares can be harvested. On average, they harvest 20 hectoliters per hectare. And Nicholas and Carol Bantlin want to prove that this makes a difference. In fact, they make us no choice, we have to try their wines, Cool Moon, Bouche du Soleil Enfant Sauvage and the Roi Lézards. We start with Cool Moon (cooler moon), there are 2,000 bottles a year of this white wine, made by a craftsman and an architect. "There you see the barrels. Each barrel is a a bit a different taste and if I take all the barrels together, then there is something very, very complex. » The result is certainly successful. I admire this wine, especially that the taste for so long still in the mouth is maintained. I'm not the only one. "This wine is selling very well despite its price, it is the most expensive of our wines. »
The second bottle is a rosé. It is light, fruity, fresh, and thanks to exogenous yeast it has an aroma of citrus and English sweets. This is their Bouche du Soleil (opening to the sun). "A good rosé is the most difficult to manufacture. You take a glass and try on and then you say "wow, super, tomorrow he is in the bottle." The next morning, you try on again and you say yuck, "what is that? » Nevertheless, they succeeded. I really do think the area taste again and when I close my eyes I see her little paradise to me. The third bottle is
Enfant Sauvage (Wild Child), Carignan and Grenache in concrete casks. I like him, not hard, fresh, light, stands out enough acidity, a wine in which no factor.
Les enfants sauvages: the large barrel
The fourth bottle of Lézards Roi (King of the lizards), it is aged in barrels. The large barrel with 3,000 liters is brand new. The wine is therefore a wooden nose that is ubiquitous but non-aggressive tannins, a wine for intellectuals, a wine that makes you think. After
This session shows us some of Carolin canister of about 20 liters, this is their first attempt to produce a mild red wine. It was a small amount, too small for the wine, so Nicholas has pressed the grapes with his hands and feet. She fills the glasses. It is a mild sweet wine without being a wine where you can dream of mousse au chocolat, or think of apple pie with a dash of cinnamon, it is too good.
Les enfants sauvages: the canister
The sale
"In France we find our wines in only two wine merchants in Montpellier and Perpignan and we work with 2 restaurants. In This year we have not found a wine merchant in Brittany. We have the impression that it is difficult to place on the French wine market. More difficult still produce for 2 German, the French wine. » Why? Perhaps because of its website, its virtual business card. The site is well designed, attractive design, bright colors, easy to navigate and trilingual. So, however, shows the French side marked linguistic deficits and sometimes appear even the German text. Here the harsh verdict of my daughter, my personal adviser: "The spelling, word choice and expression are poorly and inadequately."
"For us it is easier to sell abroad, since we have the advantage that we speak good English and German. We export 90%, we are working with Germany, the USA, Belgium and Great Britain. In Germany, we organize wine tastings in the manner of "Tupperware parties", we will show slides and tell our story, we do a wine tasting and so we sell well, we sell an average of 40 cases in the evening. The sale is even better since 2007, mainly because of Nicolas Joly. »
Nicolas Joly Nicolas Joly
, Winzer (Coulée de Serrant), writer (" The wine, "between heaven and earth and "wine, vineyard and Biodynamics"), initiator of the revival of the quality group and advocate of biodynamics. In the group have "revival of quality" are 152 wineries with the same idea together that regularly organize fairs for sixth and 7 April in Verona in Italy and a few weeks later in Sao Paulo in Brazil. A group that wants to make the Biodynamie known. Since late 2007, the Domaine des Enfants Sauvages also a member and later they are very proud. It is also very helpful for the sale. "Nicolas Joly regularly organizes trade fairs for the sale of smaller members and there are a large Number of customers who are invited. We were with in Verona, which was very good, we have met many importers, many of them were in top restaurants. has "
your message
While driving in the Land Rover I Nikolas explains his work philosophy. I've noticed not a lot of his comments because the travel of the type "Paris-Dakar" was. So I quote some key sentences from its website. "What agriculture concerns we need a culture largely prevented the detrimental effects of a balance between giving and taking to find a knowledge and respect for earth and cosmic interactions. Type in the wine is a waiver of monoculture and the creation of small-scale vineyards and more alive. Reconstruction of biodiversity, a reasonably limited exploitation of the earth, support of micro-and macro-organisms, a possible integration of vineyards in natural biological cycles. This creates a natural resistance to diseases of the wine without chemicals used. This waiver has apparently more manual work to follow. The result is an expressive wine as a medium between human and natural influences taught. »
Les enfants sauvages: the wines
