Latest news with #vignerons
New York Times
08-08-2025
- Business
- New York Times
‘Is It Happening?': Trump's Tariffs Bring Uncertainty to Beaujolais
Few wine regions are as quietly beautiful as Beaujolais, where the rolling green hills are punctuated by small, pretty towns, the sort where businesses still close for lunch from noon to 3 p.m., and window boxes are bright with colorful fresh flowers. Wine is the primary business, and the main reason the towns still have butchers, bakers and other institutions that have gone missing in many hollowed-out communities throughout rural France. Vineyards, naturally, dominate the hillsides. Most are divided into plots that are part of small, family estates tended by vignerons who farm the grapes and make the wines. Beaujolais has come a long way since the days of Beaujolais Nouveau in the last quarter of the 20th century, when big négociants controlled the business and Beaujolais was thought to be no more than a cheerful, lighthearted drink. Today, the region is full of young, energetic, quality-minded vignerons, some new to the area, while others come from families who have farmed the gamay grapes for generations. The wines are better than ever. You can still find the joyous thirst-quenching styles that many believe define the region, but it's just as easy to find complex expressions of Beaujolais's many different terroirs, the sorts of wines that have changed minds about the area's potential. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘We bought a French vineyard – it took us seven years to turn a profit'
David Moore is starting his tractor with a screwdriver. 'There's a problem with the old girl's ignition,' he says. 'It's alright though, I saw this done on Ozark.' In the 15 years since David, 58, and his wife Amanda, 57, packed up three cats, two horses, two young daughters and a dog to start a new life in Bordeaux, they've often had to improvise. The decrepit farmhouse and 10-hectare vineyard they bought for €370,000 (£320,000) in 2010 has needed years of hard graft, relentless optimism and cash to transform into the wine business it is today. They are still using much of the ancient, rusted machinery they bought from the previous owner. 'The house was a complete and utter wreck,' Amanda says. 'There was a bird's nest in the hall, and a macerating toilet behind a screen in the corner. Frogs would get in at night and wake the kids up.' It's the kind of rustic blank slate that creeps into the daydreams of sun-starved wine-lovers sitting in their home offices in the suburbs. David and Amanda, from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, are among the tiny minority to have turned the hazy idea into reality. Their farmhouse is now a chicly furnished four-bedroom home with elegant oak beams and exposed limestone brickwork. They serve their wine to tourists in a renovated, high-ceilinged barn where paintings created by their daughter, an art student at the nearby University of Bordeaux, hang on the walls. But becoming winemakers – or vignerons – was always going to be a financial gamble. 'We were really into wine – drinking it,' David says. 'We knew you could get three bottles for a tenner at Morrisons but we knew nothing on the side of viticulture. 'We had no idea how expensive it would be to farm grapes and make wine, let alone renovate the house and other buildings.' The couple have ploughed around €250,000 (£217,000) into works on the property and vineyard, reinvesting most of their revenue back into the business. Now they are grappling with a crisis engulfing France's wine industry. Production costs are ratcheting up while domestic and international demand has slumped. Cellars from Champagne to Provence are full of surplus stock. The backdrop is a changing climate, making the weather more extreme and altering the character of vintages from the country's renowned wine-growing regions. 'We didn't have a plan' Harsh economic conditions mean intrepid foreigners like David and Amanda are becoming harder to find in France. Gilles Martin, of Vinea Transaction, an estate agency specialising in French vineyard sales, says the number of British buyers has collapsed since the heyday 20 years ago. 'Between 2000 and 2010 we would sell dozens of vineyards to British buyers. They represented around a third of all our sales. Last year we sold just three, and the share was down to 5pc.' The financial crisis put an end to the boom. The pound plummeted against the euro, making French vineyards relatively more expensive. Brexit would later add an extra layer of bureaucracy for anyone tempted to take the plunge. David and Amanda first started to think about moving to France in 2007 after David bought himself a tractor for his 40th birthday. 'It was a sort of midlife crisis,' he says with a smile. 'We were living in a beautiful house with some land. But ever since the two of us met, we had an itch to do something different.' Back then, a pound was worth €1.50. By the time they came to sign for the vineyard three years later, the pound was approaching parity with the euro, and the cost of fulfilling their dream had risen sharply. Even so, the vineyard purchase was covered by the sale of their Yorkshire home, leaving them with a modest cushion of around £40,000. They used the money to renovate the farmhouse, buy and repair the rusty machinery, and fund their lives while they worked to get the neglected vineyard into shape. They christened their new business 'The Naked Vigneron'. David, a painter and decorator, did odd jobs on the side to help keep the family afloat in the 18 months before they sold their first bottle. Having only 'schoolboy French' and two daughters aged four and five didn't make things any easier. 'We didn't have a plan,' David adds. 'We didn't sit down and do a spreadsheet. We knew it wouldn't be easy but we were a little naive about the financial side of things.' Their limited funds meant they decided to tend the vines, pick the grapes and make the wine themselves, without any professional help. David did all of the building work himself, meaning they only paid for the raw materials. They discovered that the combination of climate and soil in their corner of eastern Bordeaux, just 200m from the Dordogne border, produced chalky, full-bodied reds. But it took until 2017, seven years after starting the business, to turn a profit for the first time. Like all French winemakers, the couple have had to contend with an increasingly unpredictable climate. Their first profitable year coincided with the vineyard's first major disaster, when a frost wiped out 95pc of the harvest. In the eight years since, David and Amanda have had six 'dire' harvests, either frost or mildew, when evaporating rainwater rots the grapes. Forced to diversify In the couple's stone-walled winery, a bat flits between gnarled beams and disappears into the rafters. Six dusty bottles of the vineyard's early produce sit on a surface near a cast iron wine press. The battered wooden door is encrusted with snails. 'If we'd had a million, we'd have refurbished this place,' Amanda says. 'But we've grown to like working with the old gear. People who visit appreciate the rustic.' David leans on a large burgundy-coloured storage vat with white numbers scratched on to it. 'In a normal, good harvest year, we would produce 25,000 litres of red,' he says. 'Last year this was down to 1,200 litres.' In the early years, they sold a lot of wine in bulk (' en vrac ') to a négociant – a middleman who would mix their raw product with other wines and sell on the resulting blend. These sales were the 'bread and butter' of the business, raking in as much as €42,000 a year – helped by the fact their wine was organic and commanded a premium. The pandemic put an end to this lucrative source of revenue. Tourists stayed away, demand slumped and the wholesale market never recovered. This new reality forced them to diversify. Most of the business's income now comes from tastings, tours and meals rather than bulk wine sales. They have hosted a handful of weddings in the beautifully restored barn, and are planning to eventually rent out the whole property and grounds for big functions. They even sell organic waste, like seeds, and tiny quantities of wine, to cosmetics firms to add to perfumes. Three quarters of the wine they sell is to fellow Brits. 'We've ended up moving to a very Anglicised area,' Amanda says. 'All our nearest neighbours are British.' In a good year, the business just about reaches the €60,000 of turnover needed to break even. British winemakers selling up The Naked Vigneron is among thousands of French wineries facing an uncertain future. Domestic wine consumption has collapsed from 120 litres per adult annually in the 1960s to just 40 litres today, as younger generations switch to whisky and beer. International competition and waning demand from previously big importers like China have also dented demand. In a bid to cut the amount of wine flooding the market, the French government is offering winemakers €6,000 per hectare to dig up their vines and not replant them until at least 2029. David and Amanda took up the offer this year, uprooting six of their 10 hectares of vines in exchange for €36,000. David did the digging himself to save money. Other weary producers are simply calling it quits. Martin, of Vinea Transactions, has seen a rise in the number of British winemakers selling up in the last five years. 'In Bordeaux, in particular, there are no English buyers and the market is very down, it's very difficult,' he says. 'Some are approaching retirement age and their children are not interested in wine. Market conditions are also bad.' Martin's clients are a mix of professional winemakers and enthusiastic amateurs looking for an idyllic plot at a reasonable price. The vineyards he sells begin at around the €1m mark, rising to €20m in the prime appellations like the Loire, Languedoc and the Rhône Valley. But the wine crisis means some are selling at a hefty discount. 'There's a readjustment in the market. We have to explain to sellers that they will have to take a lower price.' David and Amanda know three English couples who have sold up their French vineyards in the last few years. But the pair are determined to tough it out. 'We've never thought about throwing in the towel,' Amanda says. 'We love it here. Our kids hate the idea of us selling it.' David looks across from a row of vines to a pale-stoned building plonked in the middle of an empty field. There are no windows and part of the tiled roof has caved in. Their plan, he says, is to turn the ruin into a gîte with three bedrooms and a swimming pool – the latest venture to boost the vineyard's income. David estimates the refurbishment will cost €50,000, including a new roof, and installing electricity and running water. They hope to fund some of the building work with the government grant. It is ambitious given the economic climate and the hard labour required. But after years of defying the odds, David looks at the ruin and sees another opportunity. 'We're not a million miles away from 60 and it's not going to get much easier physically – but there's still a lot more we want to do,' he says. 'There's nothing like a bit of a struggle here and there. You wouldn't want it on a plate. 'Doing it all ourselves is very satisfying. Sometimes we sit here and pinch ourselves and look around and think: we made this.' *Please note that by submitting your content to us you are consenting to The Telegraph processing your personal data where required by law. For further details please see our Privacy Notice.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne appoints new president
Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne (TEVC) has named Eric Potié as its new president. Potié succeeds Véronique Blin, who stepped down after 13 years as president, choosing not to renew her mandate, the group announced. TEVC said Blin's tenure was 'essential' in elevating the business to the third-largest Champagne group globally. She spearheaded the 2022 merger between Centre Vinicole – Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte (CV-CNF) and Coopérative Régionale des Vins de Champagne (CRVC), alongside the acquisition of two brands. TEVC's product portfolio includes Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, Champagne Castelnau, Champagne Abelé 1757 and Champagne Henriot. The company snapped up Champagne Henriot from Artémis Domaines in 2023. Potié, a long-time advocate of the cooperative model, has been a board member since 2009. Formed in 2022, TEVC brings together approximately 6,000 wine growers across 2,750 hectares, accounting for nearly 9% of the Champagne vineyard area. He was previously the secretary, vice-president, and first vice-president of CV-CNF. Potié said: "I am particularly touched by the trust placed in me by the board of directors, and more broadly by the associate-cooperators. I am fully committed to continuing the work previously undertaken. 'With my colleagues from the Bureau, always in close collaboration with the management committee, we are determined to give our best to ensure the company's sustainability, in the interest of its employees and members.' "Terroirs et Vignerons de Champagne appoints new president " was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Telegraph
30-06-2025
- Telegraph
The unsung European wine regions where holidays are half the price of Burgundy
A road trip through French wine country was once a leisurely, care-free affair, featuring spontaneous stops at some of the best chateaux in the country. Nowadays it's a budgetary and logistical exercise, with days of pre-planning about where you can actually afford to buy something, and which caves will deign to even open their doors to you (in Burgundy, the answer to both is: fewer than you think). Luckily, if you look farther east, Europe still has plenty of lesser-heralded wine regions where vignerons will welcome you with open arms (and tiny bills). Na zdraví to that! Here are three of the best for super vintages, charming accommodation and low prices. South Moravia, Czech Republic Czechs used to joke that they consume so much beer because it's cheaper than water. But in South Moravia – the premier cru of Czech vine-growing regions – the wine is just as affordable. Reasonable local bottles start from around £2, and you don't need to spend much more than £8 for a great one. You could spend weeks driving from vineyard to vineyard meeting passionate winemakers and tasting superb rieslings, sauvignon blancs and grüner veltliners that would make vignerons in Alsace, Mosel and the Loire green with envy – although there are plenty of lesser-known local varieties to explore too. The region has oodles of charm. In villages such as Vrbice and Petrov, you can see Moravia's traditional stone cellars, which bury their bottoms into verdant mounds in a Hobbit-ish style that could be straight out of Tolkien. Petrov's Plže cellars are also painted in folk patterns. More recently, trendy young architects have been descending on the region to zhuzh-up historic family farms into Pritzker Prize-worthy wineries. One of these, Lahofer, is the ideal place to start your Moravian adventure. Designed by local architects Chybik + Kristof, its wave structure crests above a stylish concrete-and-glass tasting room before crashing down towards the vines. The curl of the wave creates an outdoor amphitheatre where the winery hosts dozens of concerts throughout summer. Tastings are available on request, or you can simply enjoy a glass at the bar (from 80 CZK/£2.76). The winery is a 10-minute drive from Znojmo, a charming cobbled town stuffed with historic buildings – from a 900-year-old Romanesque rotunda to Baroque palaces and Gothic churches. Here you can find Enotéka, a former brewery heating room. Owned by the family behind Lahofer, it has been converted by the same architects into a swish, airy bar where you can try 120 different wines from the surrounding region by the glass from self-dispensing machines. The windows perfectly frame the 700-year-old church. From just £53 per night (including breakfast), you can stay in a gorgeous converted bakery, Stará Pekárna, which dates back to the 13th century. It sits in the centre of Znojmo and owners Valerie and David Kozelští have completely white-washed the ancient walls and vaults to give a fresh, modern feel. Ryanair flies from Stansted to Brno. Berat, Albania Imagine the city of Bath but built by the Ottomans and surrounded by rolling vine-clad hills. That's Berat in Albania. This Unesco-listed city has that perfect jewel-like quality of Bath with its cascade of white mansions – their wooden balconies and thousands of windows clinging to the hillside. But just visiting the historic centre and not venturing out into the surrounding vineyards means you miss out on the region's best-kept secrets. These vineyards are home to some of Albania's best wines, many made with indigenous grapes you can't find anywhere else, such as Pulës (which makes dry white wines that sing with flowers and orchard fruits) and Debinë e Zezë (think: rich earthy blackberries). While Berat's cobbled streets are usually packed with tourists, you can enjoy the neat rows of vines at top wineries like Çobo all to yourself. Many vineyards also offer accommodation. At Pupa Winery, a 20-minute drive from Berat, you can stay in an Ottoman-style mansion, with its terracotta-tiled roof and giant slabs of poplar wood that seem to grow organically out of the white walls. Many of the rooms have balconies so you can wake up to views over the vines. Thankfully prices aren't growing as well as the grapes. Double rooms cost from £67 per night, including breakfast, and in the restaurant you can fill yourself up on home-made dishes from the Pupa family farm, such as cheesy pumpkin bake, stuffed peppers and flaky burek pastry, for less than £10. Ryanair (from Stansted) and British Airways (from Heathrow) fly to Tirana. Balaton, Hungary Just a few centuries ago, Hungarian wines were being drunk by all the royal courts of Europe. Today, internationally at least, it's known only for the syrupy ambrosia that is Tokaji dessert wine. But a trip to the wine regions around Balaton, Hungary's largest lake, will reveal the incredible diversity that this stereotype belies. Start your trip in Badacsony, which sits on the lake's shore and can be reached by direct train from Budapest in less than three hours. Hableány is a dreamy lunch spot just by the lake's edge. Part winery, part restaurant, you can come for a tour, buy a bottle or just enjoy a glass with lunch. The restaurant does elegant takes on local classics, such as crispy pike perch and smoked pork knuckle with sauerkraut. It's one of the more upmarket restaurants around, yet even here you can get a main for about £10. Lake Balaton is where countless Hungarians escape during the sweltering summer months, so you can enjoy views over hundreds of yachts and kayaks bobbing on its waters. In Badascony, vines grow on extinct volcanoes, resulting in stony, minerally whites that could rival any Chablis. Try them at Villa Tolnay, one of the best wineries in the region. For a longer trip, venture out into Somló, about 50 minutes' drive away, which has a quieter, more agricultural feel. It's also home to arguably Hungary's best sparkling wine house – Kreinbacher Estate, which makes bubbles to compete with Champagne. The winery has a suite of luxury hotel rooms, currently undergoing renovation and set to reopen with a new wellness area soon. For something a bit more rustic, you can stay at Somló Kolonics Kúria, a winery and guesthouse with double rooms from £81. The simple folksy décor makes you feel like you're staying in the family's own cottage, and there are free bicycles on offer to explore the area.
