Schempp-hirth For Sale

The wild child

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

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A terrace with only a vine

Domaine Le Casot of Mailloles
Alain Castex et Ghislaine Magnier
17 avenue de Puig del Mas Banyuls-sur-Mer


No computer
Last year I have a postal Letter from Alain Castex sent with information about his winery and its wines, a brochure of the association of natural wines and a few personal words from which it emerged that he has no computer. An independent wine without a computer? Such a person does not forget you. So we have with him and Ghislaine Magnier identified a meeting when we made a short trip to the region of Perpignan.

Banyuls-sur-Mer
Perpignan, and then the D 914 road to Argelès-sur-Mer, Port-Vendres, and suddenly we see the terraced vineyards covering the entire hillside. This does not look nice, it is scheuβlich, almost macabre. I thought to I feel when a bomb in Banyuls-sur-Mer had fallen, the earth is almost black, and all vegetation is gone. In the Black Sea, only the bare vines. Cut to the real sea which is both strong wind in a wonderful green shows. We drive in Banyuls-sur-Mer. We take a walk and everywhere we see wine cellar. Banyuls-sur-Mer, which is the wine. Later we head to Spain. Up to the limit everywhere the same picture as for the bomb, naked vines in a black sea. Shortly after the English border, the picture changes completely. There are also vineyards on terraces, but the Black Sea has been replaced by grass, bushes and trees. Why? The answer we get in the "Mas Estela". Núria Dalmau, the winemaker at the winery tells us that there has previously also looked like in France. Increasing tourism has meant that many vineyards were abandoned. People would rather have worked as a waitress in a bar or restaurant than with a hoe in the terraces of the vineyards. Excluding farm workers, there are no vineyards. In contrast, the Banyuls wine vineyards have continued their farms, but this situation could change to "the English way." I explain it.
The climate in this region in particular. Above all, it is the wind that surprises again and again. In "The weather in France "by Jacques Kessler and Andrée Cham Braud, the number of days with strong winds is indicated for Perpignan with 127 a year. This is very much in comparison, for example, Strasbourg is only 15 days with strong winds. On the other side Perpignan has 96 very heiβe days a year against 6 such days in Brest. The same applies to the number of hours of sunshine a year, which are for 2603 and for Perpignan Reims 1702nd schlieβlich For the rainfall: in Perpignan 63 cm to 147 cm in Biarritz, so it's a rather dry area. But that's not all. How can we read in the website of the municipality Banyuls there on the hills more than 6000 kilometers terraces with low walls and vines. The hills have a considerable slope, so strong that it with the tractor is not manageable. To combat the weed, which is in competition with the vine and home pest is the simplest solution is the mechanical tillage. As the tractor is not used must make the farm workers, with a hoe, weed for weed. The other solution is the chemical weed control. Since I have not seen a single Kräutchen I am assuming that the wineries have chosen this solution. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the National Institute for the award of wine predicates confirm that impression in their study "quality wine AOC and the documents ". You write about Banyuls ". In this wine-growing region, the weed fight currently chemically re-planting of the vineyard is not without a drastic change in farming methods possible," The combination of climate and chemical weed control, the signs of a "English decide".

A English future
Alain Castex looks skeptical about the future of Banyuls-sur-Mer. The warming of the planet is shown here in a desertification "will win the desert. The floors are no longer able to store the water. Because the soils are fertilized synthetic apparatus of the vineyard immediately if heat and drought stress in water. He can not stay afloat. The ripening stops and they become soft and flabby. "The result is bad, the vines die. Alain speaks of up to 30% losses. And he? He cultivates the soil with a hoe, he fought the weeds with no chemistry.


Domaine Le Casot of Mailloles: Ode to the work

addition, he does not use synthetic fertilizers, only organic fertilizers. In short, he grows organic cultivation, and this method makes the plants resistant to drought. The proof: he has much less loss.
Desertification is not the only blow. Alain Castex expects that some chemicals to one day be banned. "There is still another problem. The groundwater is contaminated by the chemical products and there are too many damages. I do not like white marks they want to solve these problems. When the chemical products are prohibited, there is an economic problem. The wine is vital to Banyuls. "Alain is right. The Institute for the award of wine predicates (INAO) has counted in 2005, 1288, the winemakers are on slippery ground, and only 5 wineries who grow organically. The solution is so simple, 1283 wineries are converting to organic farming and follow the example of Alain. Alain breaks into laughter when I suggest this solution. "Die? No, never, to look at and say we were crazy. This is completely unzeitgemäβ what we're doing, how to edit the vineyard 40 years ago, and chop by hand. And furthermore, the does not pay financially. That is true, of course organic wine is expensive, but consumers are not willing to pay more for it. No give up, 80% of the wine. "And Alain? After the story by Ghislaine about their career out I hear that he will stand up.

The career
"Alain is from Toulouse, he was bad in school and has worked as a mechanic for the railroad. He later started his own business with his own workshop. He always spent his holidays at a relative in the Ariège had a small farm with a small vineyard, a few cows, fruit trees ... There, Alain has a taste for life on land and at some time he then decided that he wants to live in the country. He is then moved as a mechanic of farm machinery in the department of Aude. This was not an easy time. One day he asked a winery from Maisons, a small village, if he would not replace its workers, who went into retirement. He said yes. When he then saw how the work of the whole year in a pile of half-rotten grapes the tanks of the cooperative will disappear, he decided to become self-employed as winemaker. He has made a wine education and settled in 1981 in Jean Dave in the Corbières on a small vineyard, the Domaine Des Armouries. Like many, he has started with conventional cultivation. Step by step he has switched to organic farming. Because he no longer had to throw dirt all over the chemical on the ground. . A progressive evolution "


Domaine Le Casot of Mailloles: Alain Castex

" Then I dive into the story. I am the daughter of a farmer in Picardy, I know myself with wheat, beet and potatoes. I worked 15 years in Paris in the field of sports nutrition. Then I got fed up and wanted to return to the country. I sold everything in Paris and wanted someplace to the south. I stumbled upon an advertisement in the sold something in the Corbières was. I did not even know then where are the Corbières. I went there and had the house inspected, but I did not like it. At the end of the way I am then stuck with the car. I knocked on the door next best, it was that of Alain Castex and asked him to help me. He then pulled me out with his tractor. So we have met. Later I moved to Dave Jean, and I'm on the side with Alain the wine began. "
" We have tried to live in this village, but this has proven difficult out. I was a stranger and he had his whole family here, his friends. So we decided to go away from Dave Jean. Our dream was to Andalusia, where they make a auβergewöhnlichen wine. We went in the direction of Andalusia and made a break in Banyuls-sur-Mer. We have tasted the wine, we have learned to know a wine, we talked for hours and leaving, Alain has asked if there is to buy vineyards here. Perhaps, the winemakers answer, ask me again in three weeks. Well, we asked again and he said, is immediately now or never. We came and we fell in love with the vineyards and immediately bought 4 hectares. That was in November 1994, in December, we began to cut. It was a bit difficult with two wineries. And it was difficult to find a wine cellar. Just in time before our first harvest in 1995, we have found a disused Citroen mechanic who was einigermaβen suited as a wine cellar. "
Now they have 3.7 hectares per with a yield of 10 hectoliters per hectare. For 3 years they also have a vineyard of 1.7 hectares in Trouillas. There are no terraces. HOT STUFF is where the yield higher, 30 hectoliters per hectare. Everything is edited together by Alain, a farm worker in Ghislaine half day, sometimes interns, and friends.

Record
The balance of the Domaine Le Casot Mailloles is not easy to calculate. The costs are high and incomes are low. The costs are high because you're working as before: it cultivates the soil with a hoe and they repaired the terraces by hand. There is even a terrace on the only one vine grows.


Domaine Le Casot of Mailloles: the vineyards

No surprise at harvest, even this is done by hand. Addition they do not reap all some how. We sort the grapes in the vineyards. We cut them off, they look at and if they are good they are in the bucket. If the grapes are too dry or foul, we leave them, that's a Sysiphusarbeit, but it is necessary. Because we have to add no sulfite, the grapes have a high quality. "Because they make everything by hand with the economic efficiency is low (2.5 persons for the 5.1 hectares) and consequently, the cost high.
And the yield? If the income would be higher this could offset the higher costs. The average yield for the whole of France is 68 hectoliters per hectare (INAO, 2005). In Banyuls, the average yield is 30 hectoliters (in 2005 it was only 20 hectoliters after INAO) and Alain Castex scored 20 Hl. Consequently, this low yield can not nearly offset the higher costs. The calculation is simple: higher production costs and lower income yields a higher price for the customer. For Ghislaine it is not easy to charge higher rates. Expensive wines need a good marketing and good word of mouth. "This is not our strength, we are not good sellers. We need people to relieve us of this work, but we can not pay them nothing happens in this direction. "It is evident that marketing is of no strength to Casot Mailloles. They have no website, not even an email address. Even their advertising brochures are not very successful, for me it is really a sad sight, these seven small leaves. Very clear: No marketing, no more expensive wine. Relying on friends.

The friends
Alain et Ghislaine have customers who became friends and they have friends who were helpers. About Claude, physiotherapist in Cannes, customer, friend, helper. I met him on the terraces of the Casot Mailloles. There, the vineyard is very beautiful.


Domaine Le Casot of Mailloles: Claude

There are no black sea, but a rich vegetation. Claude, with a hoe in his hand, told me that he loves his holidays here spending, he told me why: "When the harvest, all the different smells, the grapes are all different, the mature, immature still, all this is true even when I work the floor, I feel the roots and all the smells of the earth. Later, I find this all in the wine then again, I smell it and I tasted it. This is unbelievable, this is magical. "
Claude is not the only one. "Most of our customers are friends and they come then to the wine harvest. Last year we had 36 pickers. "
Wines Casot Mailloles of excited people, I have the impression that a sworn Casot of Maillol become community.


Domaine Le Casot of Mailloles: the wines

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Without sulfur

Blanquette Beirieu
Jean-Claude Beirieu
11 300 Roquetaillade

The jewel of Limoux
If I go to Limoux I see on the left side of the road always the big sign: "Blanquette, in the traditional manner, Fiorotto Tournier, tasting room and sales ". A few minutes later, another sign in the same manner. It then goes further to Limoux. In fact, this city is the center of the conventional type to Blanquette Oh, Blanquette of Limoux? No, I do not speak of the Blanquette of Limoux, this is a well-known wine shop, the type of champagne. No I am referring to the Blanquette to conventional Art is a sparkling wine of the natural light, is older and less well known, in short, a gem. That he so little is known can not be avoided, for it is only very little of it produced in 2005 there were about 800 000 bottles. In the Champagne, for example, the production was about 350 million bottles, and also from other Blanquette of Limoux, there were 4.5 million bottles. be produced in a world in which most sparkling wines equal to (the type of champagne), it is a pity that this sparkling wine is so little known because the Blanquette in the traditional manner is different. It is produced in a different way, (ancestral country, or Diois Gallo), namely to the so-called conventional method, and the alcohol content is very low (6-8 °). They are interested in? Very good because we made a visit to Jean-Claude Beirieu, a manufacturer of Blanquette oh conventional type and a pioneer of organic viticulture in the Aude.

champagne
sure you know the word "champagne"? What do you associate with it? The city of Champagne, the wine from the Champagne or the geographical designation "quality wine from the Champagne? There is also the "small Champagne", the "big Champagne3 the" Fine Champagne ", and more of it. Maybe you know prepared as the sparkling wine from Champagne is? This is a bit complicated. First, you build from a normal wine, a still wine. Then the wine is bottled and it relies a "liqueur de tirage", that is a mixture of sugar and yeast. This mixture causes a second fermentation: the added yeast to the sugar into alcohol and CO2 (the pearls), transforms it dies from the yeast and their residues form the depot. For several months, the bottles are now stored in the neck down, and they are rotated every day so that the deposit settles in the throat. Then the bottle necks are frozen and the frozen storage is removed. Then some wine and some sugar is added, this is the "dosage liqueur.

Blanquette in the traditional manner
The method begins in the traditional manner exactly like this: you win a still wine. However, then the fermentation is stopped. The wine is bottled before the completion of fermentation in the bottle. This does not prevent that the yeast begins to work, AlSiO here it turns the sugar into alcohol and CO2 (the pearls). The pressure in the bottle rises and eventually Stellet the yeast work. The result of this simple method is a very slight (6 °) and natural sparkling wine with no additives. The INAO speaks of a "wine with a yellow body, which looks more to cover us, it is characterized by fine and lasting Beads. A sensitive nose will perceive the slight smell of blooming lightly roasted nuts from trees, the white, this is the aroma of green apples, it behaves lively in the mouth with a certain structure (alcohol content is about 6 percent by volume). The method to produce
Blanquette of conventional type is very simple, so simple that many wine drinkers have previously made their own Blanquette. Jean-Claude Beirieu explains: "In the past, when the Blanquette was not yet sold in the bottle, gave it to the base wine for the traditional method is still open as to buy bulk wine. At that time it was so that the wine some tanks or barrels of which provide held and then sold them all in one week at the new moon in March. The customers, including my parents have yet done so, have the wine itself then bottled. At that time was called the wine "wine Blanquette", so it was a wine, with the sparkling wine Blanquette could be produced. After that then some winemakers such as Guy Mare Villelongue d'Aude and I started in Roquetaillade to sell the Blanquette in bottles and sell them. The market for bulk wine, a market that was common for the elderly has died completely and now it is sold only in bottles of Blanquette "


Blanquette Beirieu. Gyropalette

Foaming
The foam is the final phase in which pressure builds up in the bottle and form the beads. This phase is difficult to control, and the pressure varies from bottle to bottle, while the latter is more of a mystery.
"After the old man, the pressure varies depending on moon phase, ultimately, nobody knows exactly whether it has much or little pressure in the bottle. With funds from Europe has been trying to unravel the mystery of the foam, were involved in the region, the cooperatives, the Syndicate for the sparkling wine and a few independent winemakers. However, they have not found the key factor that can would make the pressure build to be limited to a certain strength. This is very irregular, approximately between 2 and 6 kg. The cooperatives have therefore decided to make it so like champagne, so the wine is filtered, yeast is added and when the desired pressure is reached, they pasteurize the wine to keep him stable. Formerly (1990), there were 150 wineries, the Blanquette to have made the traditional way, mostly old with a small amount. Now things are different, there are still many who offer their sparkling wine Blanquette than after conventional Are, but it is produced by the cooperative in their name. There are only a handful of winemakers producing the Blanquette themselves. "
Why are there less and less? If they are intimidated by national and European standards? It is quite possible, here is an example. Nicolas Sarkozy has a few years ago "cum suis" decided (modified decree of 19 August 2004, the Decree of 13 April 1981 and to the quality regulations for the "Blanquette by the conventional method") relates that from the 2007-2008 season "must be allowed the wine presses of the National Committee for wine and brandy production and by the National Institute for quality wines. This authorization, which is awarded by an expert commission, which is used by the said National Committee certifies compliance of the wine press with the quality standards that are set by the National Committee for wine and brandy production and by the National Institute for Quality Wines. "And Jean-Claude Beirieu, he holds state? After I heard his career I think I can guess that not giving up.

His career
"I have a study completed in Toulouse generals and finished my degree in Civil Law in housing and urban development. Well, I was never really exciting, especially when I have met in workshops with companies, the environment, I have noticed that this is not my thing. My ecological Consciousness is the result of the resistance against the growing concrete jungle in the French cities. I wanted to go back to nature and the countryside. I wanted to build something positive, to grow crops for food, crops. Here in Roquetaillade I had my family here I know nothing about, in short, here I wanted to settle down. I started to fallow land of my father.


Blanquette Beirieu: Jean-Claude Beirieu

course, has brought nothing, so I also worked three days a week in Limoux. From 1972 to 1981 I worked there to prepare my business creation. I have old buildings purchased to set up a wine cellar, a small house next to it, I bought fallow and forgotten piece of land that are untouched by the chemistry of my neighbors. I've tried everything: beekeeping, cultivation and Mahen with the scythe, all or nothing and that was unsatisfactory. I then opted for the wine, I have bought, torn, newly planted, leased and in 1981 I had worked my start as a real wine. "

quality wines with denomination of origin 5 (AOC)
Jean-Claude Beirieu as the ancient people and that gives a special flavor of wine, an authentic. Perhaps because of it shall him the Certification Committee for Quality Wines obstacles in the way, for it to evaluate a wine if it is "typical" and therefore deserves the title. "This year I was denied certification for the first time. Why? We have a typical product stands in the middle of a huge default offering that natürlic out. Assessment is by professionals, winemakers and vintners, who are well versed in the wine industry and not by experienced customers, we interfere with natural as far as the taste of wine. Well, I have presented my wines a second time, but I still have no result. The problem is that I add no sulfur and am relying on the natural yeast and the other set of sulfur in each stage of winemaking. Before fermentation is dug into mountains of sulfur. Our wines are different now more and more of the industrial wines. "
And what will happen when your wine is rejected, Jean-Claude? He laughs and replies, may 'fears, asthma attacks, because then I tilt it either in the stream or released into the distillery. I can not sell it then. This region can be produced only two types of sparkling wine, Blanquette and Cremant, and also with the method of conventional type I do not have the right to produce another sparkling wine than this quality levels (AOC). "

The sale
Anne, the girlfriend of Jean-Claude does not mince his words when she speaks from the sale.


Blanquette Beirieu: Anne

"The problem is that we have too much work and the sale is always last. Our marketing is limited to organic trade fair and supplies to health food stores. But the organic food stores to sell anything. The Problzm of health food stores, is that the staff change constantly. If you call there is either the person responsible can not be there or is it someone else or he does not know the product. If you happened not call on anything. Last year there were 6 months, an exception in a health food store, there was a responsible person who called us when the product is low. This was the first time that a health food store has gemlacht that, and this guy is gone. The other problem is, that they want to store anything, they want only a few boxes. So, you do make enough for a meaningful health food stores can tour. Thus we have in Toulouse for example, 5 organic food stores. Last time there we have delivered a total of 15 cases, which has paid off for us only because we had something else to do in Toulouse.
Direct selling makes us of 60%, or organic trade fair, sales to health food stores and customers who come to us. We are a bit at the end of the world and so are the people to us are very motivated, they usually take several boxes, they do not come for 2 bottles. The export does not matter to us. Since 2000, we supply to the Japanese. That does not evolve, it remains stable at 600 bottles a year, that's all. "

recognition as a biological wine
make the logo AB (Agriculture Biologique) use may be the winemaker to control from a certification body can . Until now, the Ecocert with us and now makes the Ulas. "With Ecocert we have divided us a bit because of the story with the Flavescance dorée and our label.'s why I asked Ulas and Sethe everything runs smoothly. But the controls are the same ones that are good nothing and lead nowhere. If one wants to cheat you can do that easily. I work since 1981 together with Nature et Progrès, as there is real trust and exchange. Networking is much more effective than an idiotic control from above. "

Its production
" Blanquette Beirieu "which is the title of the Jean-Claude has given his brochure. The title is fitting, because its production is 80U Blanquette in the traditional manner and 10% are Blanquette of Limoux. The label's Blanquette is impressed us. Since 2005, the label must be "contains sulfite" where the wine is more as containing 10 mg per liter. Jean-Claude, it is important to know his customers that his wine does not contain sulfite, therefore, is with him on the label "no added sulfite" '.
His other wines are still wines, such as the rose that is named "Between 10 and 11". Why this name? "One fine morning have told us, now we have it pour into bottles. So I'm heading into the wine cellar, everything ready before and at 10 clock preparations are done. We start with the packaging and at 11 clock, we are fertig.Ausserdem he drinks also good between 10 und 11 clock, both in the morning but also in the evening. "His wines come 5 hectares of vineyards with an average yield of 30 hectoliters per hectare, it produces about 20,000 bottles a year. This is a modest production, just as the price increase is modest. On the old site of Jean-Claude Beirieu I've seen the prices of 2004, you may find that the price for its flagship product in four years increased by 8.3%, which I find very modest.


Blanquette Beirieu: the wines

Herpes Toothbrush Dies Cold

You have to go to school again

Saux
Domaine Sylvain Pechigo
Avenue des Pyrénées
11 300 Lauraguel

The wine of life is beautiful
"For years I believed that the life of a winemaker has to be very beautiful. In the fall, he meets with his friends in the vineyard, they sing, they talk, they laugh and have fun, this is the wine harvest. In winter, wine is made, which is not more difficult, because the yeast does all the work. At the same time, he meets friends, customers and wine lovers who want to try all of his wine. In the spring he walked through the vineyard to see if not replaced a plug or a cracked wire must be repaired. In the summer he supervised, when its grapes ripe for harvest, and so it goes on and on. "
" Later I realized that the life of a winemaker is not quite so romantic, on the contrary it is very hard and sometimes even dangerous. "This is the daily newspaper Le Figaro on 14 October 2007 an article entitled "The vineyard in southern France is threatened by violent extremists", and I quote: "It has not all this staying power. In the Aude department have since the beginning of the crisis, some wine winery committed suicide were faced with ruin. Others, however, discourage the gun no longer afraid to get out of the closet to their exhaustion with penetrating creditors and incorrigible Dealers to make clear. "
You are not alone, Gérard Schivardi, Mayor of Mailhac in the daily newspaper Libération says, 31 March 2007 from its growers, "in my community there have been two suicides. "The suicide
is certainly an exception, but the angst a constant companion. So also with Sylvain Saux, winemaker of Domaine Pechigo in Lauraguel. For him, the problems lie mainly to the low yield.

The harvest is sparse
His harvest in 2007 was about 13 hectoliters per hectare, that is 1733 bottles. Is that really enough? Yes, this is very little if we as the crops in the Charente . Compare The latest figures we can www.charente.pref.gouv.fr on the site. Manual be consulted. End of January 2008, the average yield 137 hectoliters per hectare. A different number: in 2004 harvested a total of 9.9 million hectoliters.


Pechigo Domaine Sylvain Saux

short, 10 times more than with Sylvain. That is, the yield of a hectare in the Charente corresponds to the yield of 10 hectares at Sylvain. You are not agree. Here are the latest figures from the INAO (Institut National de l'Origine et de la qualité) on French wine harvest in 2005: with a total production of 53,314,150 hectoliters per hectare over an area of 7.77.180 , the average yield of 68 hectoliters per hectare. Sylvain would reap no 137 hectoliters per hectare, not even 68, but he would love to increase its income, 13 hectoliters per hectare, not enough to survive. He explains: "The goal of a grower, it can be to create a biodynamic wine and make a living. In my case it was different. My goal was just to create a biodynamic wine, and only then I noticed that some are missing something. And I've added an additional objective: and so I would like to earn some money to survive. In very rare cases, the money comes naturally when you making money not as an end in Head has. If I had thought so I would have noticed earlier, that survival with such low yields is not possible. I would have acted sooner. "So what does he do? He lays still for a hectare of vineyard, which yields almost nothing and then he used fertilizer. "This year I bought 15 tons of fertilizer and that I would verkompostieren. This results in about 10 tonnes of compost which I will deploy to 2 to 3 hectares of vineyard - and this will increase the yield. "

The sulfites
Sylvain really loves not the sulfur and sulfites. He used sulfurized barrels. The barrel interior is disinfected using it as a sulfur-containing Fuse is burnt. That could leave traces of sulfite in the wine. If he has the impression of something sulfite wine could tolerate, then it adds up to 20 milligrams per liter. This is little compared with the legally allowed limit (160-400 mg per liter). He makes many experiments so that the wine ferments very quickly, for here he has a problem with his wine, "La Mothe". has

La Mothe
A few weeks ago, I Jean-Louis tells of a white wine, "La Mothe". I quote him: "This 2005 vintage is balanced, has structure, is round and keeps the flavor in the mouth. Come over and try it. He comes from a Organic winery in Malras. His assistant Delphine sings the same chorus as I and she has brought a few bottles of it. "And who's the wine? He has his wine cellar in Malras but he lives in Lauraguel. Yes, it is actually our winery, Sylvain Saux. Yes, and now he speaks of his top wine, he says that the 2006 is not yet mature, but he would like to hear our opinion and bring a bottle - La Mothe. We cost him and Jean-Louis gives his verdict: "The 2006 is too young, too green and the acid is still in the forefront." Later, after a rehearsal, he said that had to dolphins from the 2005 the same properties as now, the 2006 and it is only after about 8 months mature. If the 2006 just mature like that? We very much hope, because there is not one more bottle of 2005 vintage.


Pechigo Domaine La Mothe

But in any case, with Sylvain La Mothe confronted with a problem: "it takes a long time until the wine improved, and the acid occurs in the background. If we can not wait for it well enough and if we wait too long we have money problems. The La Mothe, which is 80% of our production. " If the wine is finished once he has no problem with his heel, his customer network buys everything.

The sale
"The majority of buyers Are wineries, wholesalers and some a little bit of selling to restaurants and for export. Sometimes even those who visit us, but we expand any further, so there is no sign and we are more or less impossible to find. Why? Today it is cleaned up, but a short time ago it was total chaos. To receive customer you need a place that is beautiful and always available. But sometimes gets lost anyway chance someone here wants to buy the wine. The other day I was coming forth to pick up a hoe, I have met a guy who says he has come from Perpignan and there always buy our wine. Now it is no more and therefore he is here to buy at what "


Domaine Pechigo. Saux Sylvain Pet

Why Organic?
"agriculture is simply a bunch of large scam. This is a shame even know the types of the Chamber of Agriculture that there is too much environmental damage, but they know nothing about recent developments in agriculture, soil science, for example. They still think the classic patterns of soil analysis, and that's no good. The substitution theory is: a harvest weigh and calculate that there are much nitrogen in it, as much as much phosphate and potash, and this must be the ground artificially be fed back. That might be so with tomatoes growing in nutrient solutions but not with a living earth. The earth that is alchemy. There are now such a high mortality ground that the soil behaves like a lifeless
substrate, such as cantilever with the tomatoes. But if you have soils that are not inanimate substrate, then this is quite different, and the soil scientists confirm exactly with their recent analysis. If you
therefore has a minimum of scientific understanding would have to say we are in error. But no, it still acts as if the scientific analysis of 100 and 200 years ago remain valid today. If you look at everything once made aware of then has, it is reasonable to switch to organic farming. Even better, the biodynamics. Biodynamics, that is for me the most reasonable and consistent theory. You can explain the phenomena to which we are gestoβen. "

His course
" At university I did a degree in mathematics. After that I was interested in agriculture and have a BPREA (Brevet Professionnel de Responsable d'exploition Agricole) made, which is a training which has given me an insight into what is now happening in agriculture so and it gives me the right to grant. But it is an education full of nonsense and contradictions. Quite interesting were just management and law. Also Agronomy was quite interesting from the point that I got to know the conventional farming, and now better informed white, what do my neighbors. It was also my father and wineries during the training I have with him conventionally grown wine. "

The state prefers the winemakers
The State of the winemakers prefer? Yes, I think so. Sylvain says he received from the state a very good support.
"Every year I get a premium for organic Cultivation. They are always 2,000 € and I think from next year even € 4,000. All farmers who grow organically entitled to this premium, which is a lump sum payment, equal for all, regardless of whether Groβ or small business. For me it's great. HOT STUFF you do not need to fill out a bunch of forms for it.
is different for the conversion premium, which was much more complicated. That was a real tape. If one switches to organic farming you get a premium for three years and worth it. I think I got time for three years 18 000 francs per hectare. This represents about 12,000 € a year for my vineyard as a whole, and for three years long, that was a really good support. "

contradictions
It's getting late and we must leave. I ask a final question: Sylvain has learned anything during his training on organic farming? "no. It was all about chemical weed and pest extermination and synthetic fertilizers. "
It would be really better if you start already in training with bio, that would be more efficient.

120-55 Queens Boulevards

Actimax in the soup

Stéphanie Minor / Ernest Aeschlimann
Domaine Saint Julien Le
Zaparel
11 700 Azille

The entry
speaking of him. His name is Ernest Aeschlimann. When dealing with the wine and the Biodynamics is impossible to ignore in the name. He is among those the engine of the 'de Pays d'Oc Biodynamics. At a party in Villelongue d'Aude I accidentally tasted his rose, the taste was remarkable. I have carefully studied the label, "a wine for pleasure and well-being. The vine has given his best for this noble product. We have raised him with love and craftsmanship. "The Wine is called Le Zaparel. A week later, we park our car in front of the winery Saint Julien. We have an appointment with the winery and the winemaker.

The course begins
Stéphanie. "26 years ago, we have to leave Switzerland. Even before I met Ernest I wanted to go to Provence. Ernest also wanted to emigrate, but he would prefer to Italy. In Provence, for him were too many nuclear power plants and too many tourists. The compromise was the Aude, our first house was in Paraza, in this small village we started.


Domaine Saint Julien: Stephanie Minder / Ernest Aeschlimann

We bought and leased vineyards, with loans from the Winery. Actually we wanted to make our own wine, but the president wanted us to stay. He suggested that we make our own wine in the cooperative and also to market it themselves. For us this was very good, we had nothing to invest in the production of wine. With Michel, the former president was also the problem, but after a while he left the cooperative. The new president was hell for us. He could not bear that someone made within the cooperative's own wine. He even replacement of the locks, so that we no longer space could enter the cooperative. We knew we had to get out as quickly as possible. We could have purchased a wine cellar in Paraza. We had the status of young farmers and were ready to buy. At the last moment the owner was bankrupt. No wine cellar for us Paraza. What to do?
's brother Ernest, who lives in New York has bought a few years ago a house on the Canal du Midi, a house with a small wine cellar for 40 years, was not used. He has allowed us to use it. We have spent 5 years there. Then we bought a vineyard in Azille, Le Zaparel. In the beginning it was difficult. Village life we lacked here was all in bad condition and depressing. We have invested a lot of work and then gradually everything got better. Now the country is in wonderful condition and we are very satisfied. "

The Biodynamics
Organic farming, which basically means no chemical products are used, just in copper (bouille bordelaise) and sulfur, which for the Earth not so dangerous. When Stephanie and Ernest Biodynamie there, what does this mean?
"For us it is not even sulfur and copper. We buy anything. We only work with biodynamic preparations that we make with a group itself. Working together, this is a good momentum. "
The results are remarkable, both the diseases, as well as for the return.
"We have fewer diseases, but also a lower return than our neighbors. We harvest 15-35 hectoliters per hectare, which depends primarily on the wine. We have old vines, such as Carignan, which are centuries old. They are very nice but the yield is very low. . If you fertilize very much can be done from Carignan up to 300 hectoliters harvest but the product is not good for much, and you have all the diseases in the vineyard "


Domaine Saint Julien: the horse

The sale
"The sale is a big problem for us, we are farmers and not traders. We have no distributors spirit that does not interest us. That's it basically. Our goal is to work with the earth. It is also very difficult to sell our wine around here, people did not accept. We sell mainly in Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium and Japan, we visit a few wine fairs. Some health food stores sell our wine and we sell here at the winery. We would love to participate in organic trade fair, where customers can taste and buy. It's always good to have personal contacts. With the wholesalers, it is not so simple. Our wines are very special, they are atypical. Manufacturers want a typical wine, a wine that will sell easily. Our Wines The taste wines are luxury, they are not the usual standard wine that will sell easily. Our wines are just different "


Domaine Saint Julien. Cellars

Our wines are different
I do not understand exactly why the wines of Saint Julien different, I am a bit to stiffen the question: why are they different?
Ernest replied, "I have a customer in Switzerland who told me when I feel bad I go home and drink a glass of your Merlot. This gives me a comforting satisfaction and once I feel better. For it is our wine a drug. There are customers who say this is a wine as before. Yes, they are right, today's wines are different. All use herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. This is normal today. The earth is like concrete. There is no life in the vineyard, the earth supports the vine any more, it's almost like the cultivation without soil, all supplied from outside, artificial fertilization and irrigation.
If the grapes are ripe is the harvester and swallowed them all. In the wine cellar then comes to a soup that is already oxidized. Without a soup ingredients, a kind of liquor you have to give anything. They are packaged in huge tanks and entered with Actimax. "Stéphanie and Ernest break out laughing. You talk about a harvest workers who worked in a cooperative and its work mainly consisted Actimax to fill in the soup to accelerate the fermentation.
"Actimax addition there are also other additives, yeasts, sulfite, enzymes, etc., that is no longer our own wine but an industrially produced. We use the wine to nothing and therefore he is different. "

wine today
This sounds very serious about what they say. Overdo it? I think not. I just read the book "Wine today" by A. Crespy and his words give Stephanie and Ernest right.
Crespy speaks of the needs of the vineyard. If you want to create a vineyard, he advises general to take first some preparation: 40 to 80 tons of fertilizer to bring 400 units of super phosphate, 800 to 1200 units of potash in the form of chlorate or sulfate, 3 tons of lime, and if necessary, 2-6 tons of magnesium sulfate. During the first 3 years Crépy recommends feeding 80-100 units of nitrogen. If the vineyard starts to wear you fertilize with nitrogen, phosphate and potash, which amounts are based on the yield of the grape variety and location.
Crespy speaks of weeds. Weed is in competition with the wine, it also needs water, minerals, air space for its stalks and leaves, and space in the soil for the roots. The weeds detrimental to the vineyard and it is difficult to keep under control. Now I understand why he speaks of "weed". What to do? He offers three solutions: tillage, integrated weed control and weed control. Integrated weed control means the use of contact poisons such as simazine, aminotriazole, diuron and glyphosate. This solution is not without risk, it is threatening an increasing contamination of the vineyard and an increase in resistant weeds.
That's not all. The vineyard is sensitive to a myriad of pests and diseases, including black spot, Kräuselmilbe, Spring worm, scale insects, Blattgallmilbe, mealybugs, Red fire, red spider, downy mildew, powdery mildew, Heuwurm, Botrytis and sour worm. How can you defend yourself? Crespy writes of two methods:
"The classic method of quasi-permanent control, that is to spray from the beginning of the growing season to every 2 weeks of the poisons, this is a very expensive method, they also poisoned the soil and speeds up the resistance against the used poisons. The second method uses poisons only when necessary and when it counted. "

The Flavescence
dorée 1994, there was the problem of flavescence dorée, a disease from infected shoots or Zikadenart caused a serious illness. She is so serious that the charge of the plant protection authority has ordered by decree the spraying of insecticides, whether biological or not the company operates. Stephanie and Ernest do not obey, they refused and this refusal a myriad of problems with the result.

"We wanted to destroy all insects in any case, but we have long-term threat. That was a tough time. It has been said will be sprayed by helicopter the vineyards. They really wanted at all costs, that inject all the venom. We have received threatening letters: You have to inject, if your neighbors have the disease in the vineyard, then you are to blame. In Ecocert, they said, we can only be certified if we inject the poison, so we could not sell our wine years officially organic wine.

Now it's back better with Ecocert. They come every year to examine the papers, statements, invoices, take a walk, and all will cost 500 €. "
But that's not all, they have to pay as much again to get the logo Demeter. Demeter is a biodynamic association. The wines

We must not go away without having tried their wines. These are all table wines. We try "le chapeau George (George's hat)" and the Merlot in 2003. Jean-Louis sums up our opinion: "This is a real wine wine, a wine that has the taste of the vineyard of the area, the red fruit, earth, the aromatic plants that grow here. This is a wine that will make us no headaches, but on the contrary makes you want more. "Especially true of" Le Chapeau ", which is potentially a quality wine from the Minervois. Potentially, because the tasting committee so far the predicate (AOC) refused - atypical wine. That does not surprise me to say because, as Stephanie and Ernest: "Our wines are different."


Domaine Saint Julien: Le Chapeau

Bloons Player Pack 3 On Ipod

Share Ardèche? No, I said Ariège! A bit

Philippe Babin
Domaine des Coteaux d'Engravies
09 120 Vira

Ferme Auberge de la Corniche
Last year we spent a week in the Pyrenees. We have moved. We have eaten and are moved on. Hiking is just there, one has the impression is there is about 10,000 km of hiking trails. However, it is difficult to eat. In 1,000 m altitude there are quite a few restaurants. The small hostel in Axiat (35 inhabitants) of which we are gestoβen during a hike was a real surprise for us. The next day we knock and it was exactly as if it were an address from a travel magazine about unknown Hostels: the owner begrüβt us like old friends, a home-made aperitif, foie gras from their own ducks, and a delicious duck leg as a main course. And that was not all it was the wine - Coteaux d'Engravies: "a good wine and still wine from the dazuhin Ariège. Madame, they joke. No, Monsieur I'm not joking. We also build in the Ariege of wine and make good wines. "She was right, the wine was good.


Domaine des Coteaux d'Engravies: Philippe Babin had

This year the winery itself on an organic wine fair taken in Perpignan (Millésime 2008). We talk, we have tried wine and we laughed together. Philippe Babin is a master at telling stories, this example of visitors who ask him: "Where are you from?" He responds. "I'm from the Ariège" And they say: "Ah yes, the Ardèche we know well . 'And then Phil says, "No, I said I'm from the Ariège" And then he said for the hundredth time that the Ariège is a French department and that there also produces wine..

The Ariège
If you are familiar with the French Ariège. Strangers is not usually known to the Ariège. For them there is a small reminder: The Ariège is easy to find, the North, the department is located 40 km south of Toulouse and the southern part of Spain. Their cities are Pamiers, Foix, St. Girons, Lavelanet and Mirepoix. In the Ariège only about 140,000 inhabitants live. On the list of the 100 departments in descending order, ordered by population density is the Ariège in 95th
It is no wonder that foreigners do not know the Ariège. And the French women? Do you really know the Ariège? Do they know that the Ariège expressed on the list, the ratio of organic winemakers to all growers comes first. Do they know that the ratio equals 25%? The heiβt, is one of four winemakers an organic winemakers. Yes it is there, is one of the 4 wineries in the Ariège an organic winemakers, and the heiβt Philippe Babin.
It's no surprise that the wine is known from the Ariège. In the 96-page "small Larousse of Wine" refers to a chapter on wine in the Pyrenees, but you can look for long enough, you find nothing about the wines of the Ariège. In contrast Sherlock Holmes can in the "Guide Hachette of wines from 2006 will find a wine from the Ariège. Where? After hundreds of pages about the wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and some other areas can be found on Page 1163 a chapter headed "wines in the country". This chapter is a section "the land of the Garonne, and since a single wine is mentioned in the Ariège: Coteaux d'Engravies, the wines of Philippe Babin.
So it is, the wines of the Ariège is not known. There are only a few vineyards and the production is low. The numbers of the Customs Office show there in 2005: 76 hl. This is nothing compared with the total production in France: 53.31415 million hectoliters. And that's nothing compared to the production in the Ariège earlier, around the end of the 19th Century: 250,000 hl.

The Ariège earlier
Claire Babin knows the history of wine in the Ariège well and she looks forward to sharing their knowledge. Dazuhin they lend us the book by Michel Castéran, "the wine in the lower Ariège since the revolution." The overall picture is sad.
At the end of the 18th Century in the Ariège, there are 6896 acres of vineyards and numerous owners, the share for example in Saverdun 510 owners 398 hectares. The yield is low in the area of Mirepoix, about 5 hectoliters per hectare harvested. The quality of the wine is rather modest. A classification of the Society for Agriculture from 1840 for France shows that in the first class are Romanée, Chambertin, Sauterne and Rivesaltes in the second Pomard, Jurançon Frontignac and Arbois, in the third Epernay, Pauilhac and Chablis, Burgundy, in the fourth, A big number is in Class 5 and Class 6, which are the lowest since the wines of the Ariège.
mid-19th Century is a bitter blow to the winery, vineyards by powdery mildew, grape moth, and Blattröte coulure hit. Suddenly you have to protect themselves against diseases of the wine. Monsieur Mares has the solution: it introduces the sulfur. The winemakers will be encouraged 70 to 80 kg of sulfur per hectare use. It works. A study by the Society of Agriculture shows that the sulfur saves 70 to 85% of the harvest. The vineyards are not sulphurised be retained only 25 to 30%.
Despite the illnesses experienced by the wine in the 19th Century a remarkable recovery. The area of vineyards, almost tripled in the Ariège. In Vira, the municipality in which since that time the domain of the "Coteaux d'Engravies" is the wine is almost a monoculture: 334 hectares of vineyards with a total area of 528 hectares. During this time, resulting in many departments, the first agricultural schools. In Ariège, it is the winery where Royat wineries can learn how they can improve quality and yield of wine. This is not a luxury, the price of the wine in the Ariège is very low: 12 to 18 francs per hectolitre (19th century). Unfortunately, the winery in the Ariège not take much to learn. The name Royat only lives on in the term "Le Cordon de Royat," a technique on the vine shoots down two horizontal cut, which was developed by the domain Royat. This is not the only innovation. The production of wine in Bordeaux, pressure by the weight of the grapes is also an invention of the domain Royat.


Domaine des Coteaux d'Engravies: Le Cordon de Royat

Phylloxera reached France in 1865 and 13 years later, she appeared for the first time in the Ariège. Vira it in 1882 and the end of the 19th Century has affected the entire Ariège. The consequences are catastrophic. A sudden decrease of area to 5950 hectares 1903rd Subsequently, this reduces further: 4.000 hectares in 1940, 2,000 hectares in 1960, 1,100 hectares in 1979 and 1990, is one to 81 wineries of which grow only one wine to more than one hectare. The vineyard is near the end of the Ariège. "Almost" because Philippe Babin intervenes.

The Drogies
"The year 1977th In the beginning here, we took the social challenge us to take care of drug addicts. With 2 other couples we opened a rehabilitation center. Philippe and I took over the agricultural section in which we employed the young people. Philippe had a dream full-time farmers to be. In 1983 there was the river land for sale, 8 acres, he said, we now have to buy immediately. I wanted to stay in the center, but after 2 weeks of thinking I said yes. So we have purchased and are now here in Vira. Gradually, we bought more land and after a while we had a real farm seed production. "But why do the seeds have dropped in favor of wine? "We were never really satisfied with the seed production, especially because we always knew that the drought will be one of the central problems of the future. So we tried something different with vigor. The second was more of a passion, An old man had told us that earlier on our hill wine was grown. It was a really old man, he was already in the first world war in the army and he went on foot back from Turkey after his release, which cost him a few years. When he came back he saw the diseased vines and thought it was all over. This old man has so much love tells of wine that Philippe has said one day: "this is what we must do it, wine. But in the first moment we appeared totally unrealistic. "
" A while later we met Jean-Louis Vigneau and we became friends. We discussed a lot with him about our project. He was president of the Association APAJH (association for adult and young disabled) and in the management of the District government. He knows many people and helped us a lot. He has always encouraged us, but because of the laws we had been blocked for now. "
As a professional wine one has to do with" the right of cultivation ". The organization Viniflohr (an association of ONIVINS and ONIFLOHR) explains: "in the context of the European Union can only be planting a vineyard to produce wine wine (wine that is produced), if one has the right to planting. There are two types of cultivation rights. The right to replanting after pulling out of an old vineyard and the rights outside of derelict land for new planting, replanting and general replacement land. "As the vines have disappeared in the Ariège was de restoration of cultivation rights is a long nightmare. This went on for many years until then schlieβlich gave the Commission the green light for new plantings in the Ariège. Philippe and three other tenants have now begun.
"Since that moment, Philippe was 100% wine, I think not. It is not good to work as a couple together forever, especially not for me, I was never a real farmer. This is not my passion. I always care about the personal side, at the time had the seed production we have many employees. We also had a disastrous year and a high debt. I took out my old training in political science and I applied. And, oh wonder, did in St. Girons I get a teaching job, now I teach English. "

Organic farming
Philippe has started on land that has never been cultivated and virgin soils, soils that have never man- have seen fertilizer or pesticides. It was easy to grow organically here. HOT STUFF, there was support from the State with the CTE (Contrat Territorial d'Exploitation, agreement on territorial attachment). "From that moment on, I'm biologically grown and I got 5 years each year 10,000 € grant. There was then really the willingness to promote organic farming. To Jean-Pierre Raffarin joined the government. He has stopped by this morning the CTE. Unfortunately, because organic really boomed with the CTE " Philippe is another example of organic farming in France: ." We have taken on the organic trade fair, a young woman to be trained (BTS) has made in the vineyard. She told that they have visited during their training in Perpignan a biological vineyard, the winery Cazes. It was there, talked about organic farming and even biodynamic cultivation. Then she said to her teacher, that these ideas are completely different to what they have learned and the teacher replied that the visit was an organic farm duty, but she could forget everything she has heard there, which is good for nothing. "

The sale
"Until just two years ago, the simple, the wine sold virtually self because we had very little, about 12,000 bottles. Meanwhile, we have 20,000 bottles, which changes many things. HOT STUFF has the initial enthusiasm for a set of wine from the Ariège. We always knew that the sale would one day become more difficult and that day has come. We sell at trade fairs, Wine festivals, the shops and restaurants Gamme Vert, yes, a lot of restaurants. We love these small festivals, but this is no serious market. We are here to realize that selling is something else, another industry and that makes us afraid. We are not a dealer. The Guide Hachette has repeatedly selected our wines, a real Glückssfall and the guy said, you'll see, you'll see, but I have seen nothing, absolutely nothing "
conclusion.? It is a wine made from the Ariège difficult to sell.


Domaine des Coteaux d'Engravies: the wines

Homemade Cakes Dirtbike

Der Freischütz

Christian Décembre
Domaine Christian Marie
2, avenue de la Résistance
11 700 Pépieux

Why Christian Décembre have chosen?
After the article by Louis Julien, "An antioxidant health risks" I know I read more about the sulfur and the wine. I will explain it: After the colonization of Algeria, the French began to plant vines there and produce wine. This was a disaster. For yeast, it was too hot in Algeria. It was even often so hot that the yeast was killed. To lower the temperature you worked with refrigerated tanks - another bust. In contrast, the addition of sulfur has worked well. The sulfur slows down the fermentation, with the result that less heat is generated in the tanks. This slowdown is achieved that the heat is distributed in the fermentation for a longer period of time. Dazuhin sulfur plays an important Role as a sterilizer, an additional asset for the winemaker. One day, the sulfur cross the Mediterranean and gradually conquered the world of French wine. Today there is rarely a wine without the addition of sulfur. This is a shame, because I do not think sulfur is beneficial to health. The acceptable daily dose is 49 mg for a man with 70 kg of body weight. This amount is connected to three glasses of red wine have achieved if you eat not just shrimp (prawns are known to increase the percentage of sulfur significantly). If you this is theoretically simple but makes the practical experience: drinks a lot of sulfurized wine in the evening and the next Morning show your headaches, that sulfur is the devil. After this experience you too will be inclined to look out for wines without sulfur. These are always difficult to find unfortunately. I do not know any wines from non-organic ingredients and contain no sulfur. Other hand, I know very well organic wines, which are sulfur-free. This is for instance the case with the wines of Christian Décembre. In addition, this wine a vineyard of just 1.5 hectares. That's it? Yes, that's all, nothing more. And how can one live on such a small vineyard? I do not know! One more reason to pay him a visit. A word
storm
Pépieux We reach the village where the winery Christian Marie is. The story goes back to the 9th of Pépieux Century, the fortifications date from the 12th Century. The history of the winery is not as impressive. This has only existed for 17 years and the building in a U-shape is rather modest. So modest that I can not park in the courtyard because there is already another car. When entering the building, it seems to me small, but most appropriate. Next there is a terrace, the small tasting room and bottle storage. The right is part of the building in which the machines and the wine tank are accommodated.


Domaine Christian Marie: wine tank

In the middle of a cramped apartment and guest rooms on the first floor. And since he is already himself, Christian Dézembre. He shows us his house which is being rebuilt. He does everything himself His apartment has lots of charm, his office is an old wine tank made of concrete. In the wine cellar reveals to us his true Christian character, a true word storm without pity for the Bodies of State power, farmers' organizations and the major national and international companies. Without commas or he takes apart all of these spin doctors.

stupid and obedient
When Christian speaks of "chemists" he means the growers who treat their vineyards with all kinds of chemicals, with herbicides and pesticides and distribute artificial fertilizers to their soils. He finds that they are very obedient. "All these chemists obediently follow the alerts of the producers of pesticides, the investigations carried out in the vineyard and say, for instance, have been observed so and so many flights to certain pests and, therefore, the vineyard with this or that product to be injected."
Christian is not obedient. He injects no chemical agents. And before any other action he looks closely. "I look in my vineyard just to fly around and I do not see any pests. I go every day in my vineyard, because I make everything by hand. I do not inject and yet I have not a single pest, Beerenfäule no, nothing.

The sulfur
www.cyberpresse.cakann On the website you read an article by the well-known critic Jacques Benoit: "Why sulfur?". In this article he writes: "There is unsulphured wines? Apparently not, even though all the really good wine to use as little sulfur as possible, as recommended also Peynaud.
When Christian discussion with other W inzern it turns out that all of this opinion. "When I say that I use no sulfur, then the people are very skeptical. They say this is not possible. How are you doing your wines last? How do you do that? They use sulfur as a precaution in abundance. They say if I add sulfur do I keep the wine undergoes fermentation and then I can rest easy. I need my wine not to monitor every day. That's the whole story. "
Christian has found the philosopher's stone. "If you pay attention, control your tank regularly, from your regular wine tasting, bah, I say to you, then you need to get the fuck no sulfur. I put nothing at all, and my wine ferments still not on. It's hard to believe. The guys say, hey, your wine will be sour. You can not make wine without sulfur add. This is true. In the beginning I added some sulfur as everyone. But then I reduced more and more, half of what fix the others have and then gradually less and less and finally I noticed that it is not necessary at all. Now I have a very sensitive nose and I can smell the sulfur. I think the smell any longer. I enter no more wine cellar, where it smells of sulfur. I can smell it even from the outside. "

The tasting committee
A wine has to earn his title (in Germany quality wine in France AOC, Appellation origine contrôlée). Each winery has a tasting in the spring deliver the Degustationskomiee. The committee assesses whether the wine is "typical". If not, then he is demoted to the table wine. The committee has downgraded it a habit to make the wines of Christian. "In the beginning it's always the same. Once you go new ways, leaving the beaten path of mass taste, this is the flavor of the retailer, the wine representative and the great wine trading companies, which are dazuhin also represented in the tasting committee, despite its partiality. You now have an industrial average taste prevailed. If you zusetzst no artificial yeasts and no sulfur, then get your wine a more natural taste and this has nothing to do with the industrial average taste Duch.
the beginning when I presented my wines have rejected it. There are two reasons why a title may be refused. The first is that the fermentation process must be completed. For me, because my fermentation is a natural, is the first in July the case, but the samples m ust before 31 May that he was given. Sometimes it is too soon for my wines and they are table wines. I still have the possibility of the predicate "Vin de Pays" (regional wine) to obtain, as have the rehearsal time to 31 December. The calendar of the predicates is thus not necessarily in line with the biological calendar. That is one thing.
Then comes the second place, the problem of tasting. I have a wine tastes like grapes, I have no wine with the industrial masses. It is clear that wine tasters tell you then you have an atypical wine. You do not say it is good and they also say he is not bad, no, no, no, they say only: aypisch, and then he will automatically downgraded. 2 years ago, they have my wine classified as atypical. Since then, he sometimes goes through as a quality wine, that is, in the years 2005 and 2006, he was not demoted. Has probably improved the taste? "

on organic farming
Christian believes that large companies will develop the organic market in its own way, globally and industrially.
"We will soon see, the industrial trillion I'm sure use that in a few years all the logo AB (Agriculture Biologique, organic farming according to the European standard) will be large industrial companies with hundreds of hectares. In the moment when someone does not exceed limits for chemicals it has a right to the title of "organic". But their products are not comparable with the wine as a small grower who produces mainly a natural product. Bio, since what is happening, we talk a lot about it. Now people say no, Bio, will not do. Today, they say, yes, yes, organic, and organic products are everywhere. The supermarkets begin to offer more and more organic, more or less produced industrially. "Vegetables without Chemkalien but also grown without soil, animals imprisoned in batteries, but fed on organic maize, animals that were never allowed to be outdoors. Why? The big ones always want the biggest part of the cake and the cake begins to grow.
In France, the offer is less than demand. And France is the country still consumes the least of organic products. The agricultural land for organic farming accounts for only 2%. This is no niche. It is high Time to open the farmers and produce natural products that really deserve to be called organic. "

the rosé flows in the basement
Christian admits us to a little break to visit the wine cellar. Everything looks new and neat. It is a jug under the tap of a tank and looks at good: the Rosé 2007 drips into it. A few seconds later he runs into our glasses.


Domaine Christian Marie Christian Décembre and Rosé 2007

A minute later, four mouths to say: yes, this is a Weinchen.

control of biological cultivation
To get the logo of the AB has certified wine its cultivation. Christian has "Ecocert" selected as the certifying Oranisation. And that is not free.
Christian does not find it normal that he should pay for the proof that its wines are produced without chemicals. Normal would be earlier if the chemischenUmweltverschmutzer would be asked for the damage to the environment and health to the checkout.

A vineyard of 1.5 hectares
Christian started his professional career in the electronics industry and later in computer science. First, in Paris, then in Toulouse. He has worked in large companies such as Dassault, 3M, Canon, Alcatel ...
1987 again, when he often was with his parents, who lived in Pépieux has he discovers his hobby: the production of wine. This hobby has taken shape gradually. Today it has the human size of 1.5 hectares.
"With one and a half acres of vineyard, in other words, 50 or 60 hectoliters of wine you can fill 6,7,8 thousand bottles. If you sell the F lax for 5 €, including taxes as the 4 € are untaxed. Of the 4 from € go, based on small-scale production, the cost of the care of the vineyard, materials such as bottles, corks, etc., taxes, costs of marketing and other expenses, which are about 2 €. Left about stay 2 € net profit. With 8,000 bottles is € 16,000 so annual income. This is about as much as the minimum wage, on condition that no financial costs are there. In 20 years I've put all my savings into my hobby with the intention of producing some point 6 or 7 thousand bottles of natural wine. In a year when I'm retired, my goal is achieved and I am financially for reasons of the R, all with a rural activity, which is healthy and natural.

An anarchist wine
Christian is an anarchist winemakers. He defies all rules, all authority and all customs the winery in France. He has found his own method for growing, harvesting, wine making and sales. Its pink, it proves that he has made good decisions.


Domaine Christian Marie: the wines

Subject For Thanks Mail

It's just a matter of organization

Sevely
Domaine Philippe Thuronis
11 240 Alaigne

From mouth to ear
"bell rings Ling" The phone rings. I lift from. "Hi Anton, This is Jean-Louis. How are you? Yesterday, at a school meeting, I met Philippe Sevely. He is a winery in Alaigne and its operation is to switch to biodynamic farming. He is very likeable and I think he can tell an interesting story. If you want I make an appointment with him. "" Yes, fine, I would like to. "
Five days later, we drive through Alaigne to visit him. I'm going in the direction you Belvèze Razès and keep in front of a large sign indicating the domain Thuronis.


Domaine Thuronis: the sign

The sign stands in front of an ocean from vines. It does not even see the buildings of the winery. This is very impressive, one can imagine living here for the King of the winemakers. Follow the access road and after 500 meters I park the car in front of a large building.

His life
The life of Philippe Sevely is atypical.


Domaine Thuronis: Philip Sevely

"I worked for large companies in the export. I have built up distribution networks in South America.
In 2000 I returned to France. I did not want to continue working in this profession. I got involved in the wine. From 2002 to 2004, I have a Training at both school and practice at various wineries. In 2005 I was ready. My wife Clara and I then started to look very closely a winery. And it is now. Thuronis, 35 acres of wine, 2 hectares of arable land, a vegetable garden and forest "

The goal
Our goal is to build an autonomous court on the basis of Biodyynamie. That is, we also grow vegetables and fruit, poultry keeping and later on we also produce our own electricity. Among us there is a vein of water, we will build a well with which we irrigate our gardens and then back up later on our drinking water supplies.
Bio is now in fashion, people talk a lot about organic and healthy diet. Above all, a healthier diet has me closer to organic, not fashion. It will not happen tomorrow, organic, it takes much thought, with us it was our increasing awareness that has brought us to Bio.

The farm size
Philippe, Clara, and an employee. That's 2 ½ (one of whom works part-time) workers for 35 hectares of vineyards, the fruit and vegetable garden and poultry. Then there are the wine production, marketing, sale of vegetables, eggs and fruit, in my opinion is one Herculean task. Philippe is not my opinion.
"It's only a matter of organization. It appears for the first time a lot of work to be, but the wine is expected in principle for 15 acres with a work force, that is, for our vineyards are 2 ½ more than enough. To May in the vineyard is very much work, then it is quiet. Now the 2 ½ to do something different. The vegetable garden is laid out in March and the season is from June to September. The fruit season is from May to October. The wine is easy to organize, we'll do at night during the harvest, the wine can then continue working during the day alone. After that, we have suspended a waiting period of 2 to 3 months in which the wine to then decanted and bottled to be. The last phase of the sale, our marketing is relatively simple. »

Marketing
" We have two marketing strategies. We work with a wholesaler in Sète, he buys 80% of our production, the remaining 20%, which is our own wine we expand itself and in bottles bottle. We actually produce two different wines. Our own wine does not go through a wine press, he comes into a tank and by the weight of the grapes, these crushed and flows the juice. The wine wholesaler would like a pressed wine.
A quarter of our own wine is at 10 restaurants of "Relais & Chateaux3 and reslichen ¾ be here at the winery sells directly to tourists, especially Dutch, Belgians and British, some of them purchase full carton, some take up to 10 cases."

Conversion to organic has implications for the marketing
Philippe is converting its operation. It replaces the "normal" production by the biological and even more, the biodynamic cultivation. The amount of the wine produced will decrease compared to previous years. And its main customers in ? Sète what he says to the conversion
"Two things are changing: First, the quantity of wine produced, because biological Who have grown less grape vines. The amount decreases by about 50%, based on one hectare, this means the normal yield of 80 hl / ha back to about 40 to 50 hectoliters. Our wholesaler agrees.
The second is, we produce organic wine. Even so, he agrees. »
Philippe does not talk about the third thing, he talks about the price. Why? "The price does not change for us."
Revenue from the sale to the wholesalers are thus reduce by 50%. I think that's a big sacrifice.

The growing costs
There is the "normal" farming, the natural Cultivation, the biological and biodynamic farming. "Normal" production that is the spraying of vines with chemical Subtstanzen, to make sure this is not just once but several times made in the year. Naturally grown, this sounds reasonable and good. Even here, though chemical pesticides are used more or less. Organic production means will be sought in principle to work without chemical pesticides. The biodynamic farming is really naturally, all work in the vineyards do not harm the earth and they are by the inclusion of the moon even more effective.
Philippe compares the costs of a nature-friendly farming with those of organic farming. "On average, , the cost of a nature according to cultivation to about 1,000 € per hectare. For us it was the beginning of many more, in the first year we had costs, which we prefer to think not so often do. The distributors of pesticides are thoroughly businessmen, they force you, by sampling, and they always find traces of mildew or powdery mildew, using more and more pesticides. That is their technology to upset you. We were new to the area and we had costs of € 2,500 per hectare. But do not worry, we have done what was necessary. The costs of organic farming are about as high as that of the nature according to cultivation. In the organic farming, it is primarily the handiwork, which is expensive, the rising Energy costs are an additional burden. This is one reason to go further and to work organically, where you put your applications to use her own, which is cheaper.

Schwefelsulfit the harm caused to
During our meeting, I have often spoken of sulfur in the wine. Philippe has always corrected me patiently, he says, it is called "sulfite". He is right, the chemical element sulfur is a non-metal of yellow color. Sulfur is known from the sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for batteries, matches and fireworks. Sulfur is also sprayed in the vineyard to disease such as mildew. But sulfur is not used in the wine. In contrast, the wine to preserve Schwefelsulfit (SO2) is added. These sulfites are not good for health. Therefore, the wine must not be too much of sulfite added, so as the limits for red wines 160 mg / liter and 210 mg / liter for white wine. On the label it must be pointed when sulfites were added. Philippe tries, it adds to the red wine and white wine, only 80 mg / liter. He is not happy with the way of identification, he would have welcomed it if the amount of added sulfite should have been given, eg, the wine contains 80 mg of sulfite per liter. Right now, he goes his own way, the text on the label "contains sulfite" is so small that it is impossible to read. Next year will be extended to the biodynamic wine, no added sulfite, so the additional "contains sulfite" ûberhaupt not appear on the label.
Philippe does not stop to correct me if I "sulfur" and Clara say sorry for me, I need a baptism. A baptism?


Domaine Thuronis: Clara Sevely

brings you a canister and a box of small yellow stripes. She opens the canister, and invites me to keep my nose above. I do what she says and the result is not coming: BANG, it is about the same as if someone had my respiratory system a lance pierced. It is terrible and the other amused. She explains that the canister contains a sulfuric solution and apparently I detest SO2. Philippe
now gives me a yellow strip, a strip of sulfur. I do not smell much and I do not mind. He sets fire to the strip and keep it under my nose. Now I am very careful, the brutality of the resulting SO2 just endured an extent. I've learned my lesson and promise from now on with the word "sulfur" to deal more carefully.

Vintage
What significance has the little sticker on the bottle? A gold medal of the Ministry of Agriculture? No, there is something else. A little logo with the words "read the hand." I've never seen a sticker with the words "mechanically harvested." Why? If the harvest by hand better? Yes, that is, there are people who say they would be better. For example, René Dauty, a former director of a wine cooperative said in the newspaper "La Dépêche": "At present, nothing can replace the secure selection of the grape pickers. »
Philippe has his own beliefs about the harvest by machine and hand. "The mechanical harvest is superior to the hand, especially in terms of quality. Since there is no group of readers the wine chat, laugh and have fun, they do this and that and the grapes come in in the bucket, whether lazy or even semi-green. It will be read and read and in the evening?
Every reader has a right to a certain amount of wine in the evening. So a little drunk too much. In the morning he is not in shape, the back aches and the head and he cuts himself and perhaps also in the finger. You laugh, but that happens. The machine no green grapes are harvested, they will hang on the vine. As far as the maturity, that is the lesser problem, and often stick out grapes on the vine. »
This is not all. Philippe explained that the machine can harvest 6 acres in one night. If now 6 acres at the same time may be ripe for the machine to harvest all at once. Degegen needs the hand-picked several days, so either you start too early or too late. He still leads to a further advantage. With the machine, bring the grapes home in the night, so no heat and no oxidation.

organically grown
Every wine, "Organically grown" is controlled by a certificate from a recognized label to obtain. In France there are six recognized label that can give a certificate, "organically grown": Aclave, Ecocert, Ulas Agrocert, and Certipaq Qualité-France. Philippe is a customer vo Ecocert and there he paid a friendly price from 470 € for the control of the vineyards, fruit trees, chickens and vegetables. The chickens are the most expensive. The vineyards are the cheapest, it costs only 1 € per hectare. We do not understand. On the other hand, the bill is not the only one. Philippe tells us the conditions of Ecocert. In an emergency, he has the right mitzuverkaufen up to 20% non-organically produced products and to use up to 20% of chemical sprays and fertilizers. Seen in the biodynamic farming is certainly the most natural solution.

a matter of organization
They are 2 ½ workers and their working area covers 35 hectares of vineyards, a vegetable garden, fruit trees and poultry, wine making and marketing. Excessive ambition? I think not. Philippe and Clara make a relaxed impression. They take much time for us. The wine cellar and the barn are cleaned up and the vines look good. For Philippe's all just a matter of good organization.


Domaine Thuronis: the wines