Jura and Savoie: meet in the promised land
Until ten years ago, neither Jura nor Savoie particularly attracted the attention of restaurateurs, sommeliers and wine merchants. Today, it is difficult to do more in the spotlight than these two miniature wine regions with indigenous terroirs, climates and grape varieties populated by winegrowers with a unique aura (Pierre Overnoy, Jean-François Ganevat, Stéphane Tissot, Jean-Yves Péron, etc.). “Freshness, minerality, crunch, depth… there is no shortage of words to describe these booming wines and better understand the international craze,” explains Fanny Caillods, wine engineer in Beaune. A series of words to which we should add scarcity, and therefore soaring prices. The price of glory?
Rosé is the new cool
Long out of date, rosé today enjoys a much more chic and relaxed image, associated with the Mediterranean dolce vita.
Long old-fashioned, rosé today enjoys a much more chic and relaxed image, associated with the Mediterranean dolce vita
The success of the hashtags #roséallday or #rosépiscine posted by the millions on social networks has largely contributed to the renewed popularity of Provence gold over the past five years. In 2021, more than one in three bottles of wine consumed in France was a rosé, according to the World Rosé Observatory. Billionaires and large groups are scrambling to acquire estates in the south of France (like the purchase of Château Minuty last year by LVMH), while the worlds of natural wine and alcohol-free are also embarking on the adventure.
Orange, the fourth color
Neither red, nor white, nor rosé. There is even talk of a UFO, “unidentified wine object”.
There is even talk of a UFO, “unidentified wine object”
However, orange wine, born in Georgia eight thousand years ago, and brought up to date ten years ago by a handful of winegrowers from Alsace, Jura and Languedoc, is neither more nor less than ‘a white wine vinified like a red wine. Translation: white wine macerates in contact with the skin and seeds, and therefore becomes orange-amber. This unusual color partly stems from its success on restaurant tables, in wine merchants, and in trade fairs dedicated to wine. “Let’s say it nevertheless, many new winegrowers are riding the orange wave. We cannot deny the gadget side of this wine, very marketing for hipsters,” William Mercier, a wine merchant in the Basque Country, gently reprimands.
“GET AWAY!” »
Who said you can’t mix white and red? In 2022, a team of Languedoc winegrowers, such as Jeff Carrel or Aubert & Mathieu, decided to create a “blouge” by blending red and white grape varieties to explore new horizons of flavors.
Who said you can’t mix white and red?
Result: a light red wine which combines the freshness and lightness of whites with the structure and roundness of reds. The micro-trend then spreads little by little in the world of living wine, because it fits perfectly into a global desire to consume easy-to-drink wines, called “glou glou” if we want to annoy the purists, and very financially accessible. Morality, we go to the wine merchant to buy a “blouge”!
The madness of pet’ nat’
As bohemian as it is good, pet’ nat’ (for “natural sparkling”), a sulphite-free sparkling white wine, is a panacea for naturophiles. For three reasons: its old-fashioned production method, that is to say without adding carbon dioxide and bottling as soon as the wine begins to ferment; its easy-drinking side, with always light bubbles with fruit aromas; and finally its value for money, generally unbeatable. Over the last ten years, the pet’ nat’ has established itself as a dinner essential when you want to “start with bubbles” without turning to champagne.
No wine is innocent
The nectar of the gods does not escape activism and acts as a vector of political-social messages. In addition to the intangibles (quantity, degree of alcohol, etc.), the bottle label can contain a lot of other information. A wine dealer with an ultra-feminist streak, Fleur Godart (Wines and Poultry) is leading the way, from 2019, with her militant vintages with provocative names: Putes Féministes, Tu dessers ta cause, Male Tears… In her wake, Ground Control , in Paris, is launching “dragustations” or wine tastings hosted by drag queens. The idea: to give more visibility to this community while shaking up the world of wine. Same fight for the German winemaker Jasmin Swan, whose labels and condoms as a business card promote famous drag. Activist initiatives serving minorities abound throughout the vinisphere, and this is only the beginning.
The rush to the west
The consequences of climate change on French vineyards have, in recent years, pushed winegrowers, oenologists and novices to explore virgin wine-growing areas in the west of the country. We are now talking about “emerging vineyards” in Brittany and Normandy. Heresy or genius? Opinions differ, particularly on the finished product, that is to say the drinkability of the wine when the first bottles are released: for the moment, only a few estates are at the winemaking stage. “These regions are known for their high rainfall, which is not always compatible with fluid viticulture,” explains Hélène Le Paslier, winegrowers’ agent. That said, we can make thirst-quenching wines very well on small terroirs. » Verdict in a year or two!
Hybrid grape varieties, the wine of the future?
Combine varieties of vines to produce a grape variety that is resistant to diseases and climatic hazards? It seems crazy, even unnatural. However, this practice dates from the 1950s. Rehabilitated in 2017 by winegrowers determined to make wine whatever the climatic context, “hybridization is an opportunity for the French vineyard and the guarantee of its sustainability”.
“hybridization is an opportunity for the French vineyard and the guarantee of its sustainability”
In his book “Another wine. How to think about the vine in the face of the ecological crisis” (ed. Flammarion), Valentin Morel, a Jura winemaker who is a pioneer of hybrids in France, defends these mutated vines, whose carbon footprint is lower because they do not require chemicals. “Imagine the peace of mind that my hybrid plots give me, which require little effort and produce good harvests. » Another characteristic of hybrids: new tastes, because who says new grape varieties, says new aromas.
Gypsy queen: Four girls and a vintage
This is the story of Céline, Julie, Alix and Perrine, four girls from the agricultural and wine world who want to make wine together. In 2020, they met Virginie Maignien, a winemaker in Roussillon, who provided them with a ton of grapes, a vat and space in her cellar. “We did everything together, destemmed by hand, picked by foot, bottled,” says Alix. The first 2021 vintage, a blend of Carignan and Syrah, is a little aromatic gem with scents of cherries and blackberries. Today, the group produces three vintages per year, a red, a white and a sparkling rosé. Low prices and stylish labels to boot.
Wine a thousand leagues under the sea
Wine submerged in the sea? This somewhat zany concept has existed for twenty years thanks to a few enthusiasts, like Ludovic Le Gall, an “immersor” in the bay of Morlaix (29). The creator of Vin d’O is neither a sea winemaker nor a sommelier. “I buy skittles (bottles, editor’s note), I immerse them 10 meters deep for fourteen to eighteen months, then I sell them.” Experimental at first, its know-how is now child’s play for this trained diver. Why this post-vinification approach? “For the interest in aging wine and the love of art,” he said. Immersing a bottle in water for one year is equivalent to three years of storage in a cellar. This process modifies the organoleptic qualities of the wine (finer bubbles, more assertive nose) and transforms the bottle, which comes back covered in algae like an adornment of diamonds from the sea.
Consumption patterns that are all good
Glass bottles, an economic and carbon sink, are competing with new ways of consuming wine. Bib (“bag in box”) of several liters, mini-cans, tap wine… Trends that respond to a general demand to drink less, but better. “Rather than opening a bottle, that is to say six glasses, and sometimes spoiling it, my customers prefer to turn to can or bib models. It is significantly more economical and ecological, for the consumer as well as for the winemaker, because aluminum can be recycled infinitely,” underlines Hubert Lauriot Dit Prévost, from the “return glass the future” cellar, in Biarritz. Same fight for taps in bars, more practical than bottles. “It’s less expensive for the restaurant owner and for the customer, who can therefore consume more. » The circle is closed.
