Bordeaux Wine News

27/08/09

See Wine Fortunes wine on a bigger map

Patrimony and capital :

Of the 500 top French fortunes, more than 50 own a vineyard, mainly in Bordeaux but also in Cognac and Champagne.

Explanation of this phenomenon to follow : Wine attracts the heavyweights of the business world just as it makes the fortunes of wine growers and merchants who have been investing in the industry for decades, according to this year's ranking of the 500 largest fortunes in France, published in the 13th edition of the magazine "Challenges" (1). In most cases, this investment consists in the purchase of more or less prestigious properties in the last few years by "new wine growers" who had previously made their fortunes elsewhere (in distribution, real estate or finance...).

However, other names figuring in this achievement hit parade actually made their family fortunes thanks to their viticultural activities (see article entitled "Heritage Built On Vines" below). The impressive line up shows that the wine business remains an important investment option but also holds a few surprises : many 'outsider' investors, who regard wine as either a good deal, business diversification or a new passion to satisfy, like to be discreet about it.... On the subject of discretion therefore, credit where credit is due : Bernard Arnault, who is owner of the luxury empire (no.2 in the ranking), is number one in Champagne (Moët & chandon, Krug..) and in Cognac (Hennessy). He and his associates also own two of the Bordeaux 'Rolls Royces', Château d'Yquem (Sauternes) and Cheval-blanc (Saint-Emilion). This man, whose style is not that of an epicurian who mixes with the riff-raff, regards these properties as "assets". "In the twenty years I've been here, I have never seen him set foot in Champagne," says a local manager. His absence has also been noticed in Bordeaux...with the exception of his daughter's wedding which was held in the region.

 

Bouygues and Peugeot :

Bernard Arnault's "best enemy", François Pinault (PPR Group and 6th in the ranking), had the very bright idea of buying Château Latour (Pauillac) in 1993. The price he paid at the time was approximately 600 million francs. It is currently worth 600 million....euros. Rumors spread from London in late 2008 that the property might be for sale, have never been confirmed. However, it would not come as a surprise if astute businessmen, sensing a turn around in the wine industry's fortunes, were considering "cashing in their assets" as they would on the stock exchange.

In the "Challenges" magazine's top ten, the Dassault family (ranking 7th), who have owned the Saint-Emilion classified château of the same name for half a century, are closely followed by the Wertheimers (10th), who own the Chanel group. This family of of avid racecourse followers also possesses Château Canon (Saint-Emilion) and Rauzan-Ségla (Margaux). Then come the Bouygues (21st), who recently bought Château Montrose (Saint-Estèphe);

The Ricard family, in 24th position, own the world's second largest alcohol and spirits group and are believers in pastis and spirits rather than in wine, even though they possess vineyards in Australia and Argentina. In France, the Ricards are represented in Champagne (with the brand Mumm..) and in Cognac (Martell).

Also on this list of well-known names is the Peugeot family (26th) who fell in love with Château Guiraud (Sauternes), also that of Bordeaux born Clément Fayat (no.36), who is at the helm of a building and public works empire and who also owns Château La Dominique (Saint-Emilion) and Clément-Pichon (Haut-Médoc). In 75th place is Michel Reybier, who previously owned the Jambon d'Aoste company (brandname "Cochonou"...).

He is now at home in Château Cos d'Estournel (Saint-Estèphe), where he has just invested 30 million euros in a state-of-the-art cellar. He is rumored to be looking for further investment in the Médoc vineyard. Next, in 90th place, comes the Frey family from the Champagne region. The Freys made their fortune in real estate and acquired Château la Lagune (Haut-Médoc).

The Gervosons, at no.99, are from the Lot region and founded the fruit preserve company of Andros (brandname "Bonne Maman"). They own and manage Château Larrivet Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan), which, thanks to their investment, has been well restored.

 

Perrodo, Lorenzetti and Perse :

The Decelle family (ranking 139th), who founded the frozen food giant Picard, has also invested in the Bordeaux vineyard. They own Château Jean-Faure in the Libourne area and a vineyard in the Médoc.

The Perrodo family (167th) made their fortune in oil (Perenco) and are now the proud owners of Château Labégorce in Margaux. Philippe Cuvelier (no.210) is another member of this group of new "wine lovers".

The sale of his stationary company, Guilbert, enabled him to invest in Château Clos Fourtet (Saint-Emilion) and Poujeaux (Moulis). Jacky Lorenzetti (268th) is the founder of Foncia and boss of the Racing Métro 92 rugby team but he also recently acquired Château Lilian Ladouys (Saint-Estèphe) and Pédesclaux (Pauillac). Daniel Cathiard (336th) sold his sports chain Go Sport in 1990 andbought Château Smith Haut-Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan).

Gérard Perse's fortune (361st) was made in hypermarket distribution. Eight years later, he became owner of Château Pavie (Saint-Emilion). Finally, not to be forgotten are the industrial activities connected to wine which have brought their share of millions to families like the Ballus (201st), who are the leaders in crop dusting, the François family (258th) - a cooperage heavyweight - and the Autajons (382nd), a leading labelling firm.

(1) concerned only with professional fortunes :

see www.challenges.fr PHOTO : (Sud Ouest & AFP) : Left to right and from top to bottom : Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Martin Bouygues (BPW, TF1), Robert Peugeot (PSA), jacky Lorenzetti (Foncia), Daniel Cathiard (ex Go Sport), Philippe Cuvelier (ex Guilbert). All have invested in wine.

 

HERITAGE BUILT ON VINES :

The "Challenges" rating also includes the success stories of the wine business world. These are the fortunes due partly or entirely to historical activity in the wine sector. After decades of post war economic 'drought', during the last quarter of a century, wine has turned out to be a booming business, as the following examples show : At the very top of the list is Pierre Castel, a "multi-vineyard" proprietor whose merchant company is number one in France. He was born in the Blaye area and ranks no.13 in the rating with 2,5 billion euros, partly because of his distribution activities in the beer industry in Africa.As for the merchant side of the business, Castel's arch rival in France is the Alsacian company, Les Grands Chais de France, owned by Joseph Helfrich (317th ranking). Mr.Helfrich, who built his merchant empire in 25 years, with his partner Gunther Bimmerle, has recently asked his son to join the business.GCF now owns a very impressive technical centre, located in Landiras (Gironde).

 

Magrez and the Rothschilds :

Further down the list is the Hériard-Dubreuil family (54th), owners of Rémy Cointreau (Cognac, Champagne). Then come the Cayards (56th), who own La Martiniquaise (holders of the merchant company Bardinet in Blanquefort). In 82nd position comes Bernard Magrez from Bordeaux. Magrez's fortune was made in spirits and he now runs 35 properties scattered around the world from the helm of his flagship domain, Château Pape Clément (Pessac-Léognan).

Close behind Magrez are the Rouzauds (99th), who are in charge of the Champagne Louis  company and who also possess several vineyards. Then there are the Rothschilds : Eric (121st), who owns Château Lafite in Pauillac and L'Evangile in Pomerol, and Philippine (139th), who runs Mouton Rothschild and the BPR wine merchant company. Among the other vineyard heavyweights are : Corinne Mentzélopoulos (151st), owner of Château Margaux ; the Taittinger champagne family (164th) ; the discreet Merlaut family from Bordeaux (167th) who own the Taillan group ;

Christian Moueix (173rd), merchant and châteaux owner in the Libourne area ; the Nonancourts (179th), owners of Champagne Laurent Perrier and the Skalli family (180th), proprietors of Vins du Languedoc. Clustered together around the 200th place in the ranking are three families who have long been landowners in a vineyard which has enjoyed great prosperity in the last few years : the Vrankens from Champagne (Pommery),

the Thienots (who also own vineyards in Bordeaux), Bollinger, Paillard (Lanson) and Duval-Leroy. Burgundy is also represented in the list in the shape of the Leroy and Vilaine families (no.336), who own Romanée-Conti, together with Jean-Claude Boisset (376th), the leading Burgundian merchant. The Côtes du Rhone's sole representative is the Guigal family (no.452).

 

The Médoc heavyweights :

This journey through the treasure chests comes to a close in the Médoc, where many famous names appear - some regarded as visionairy. André Lurton (298th) owns 640 hectares including Châteaux La Louvière and Bonnet,... ; Jean-Michel Cazes (no.377) is the proprietor of Château Lynch-Bages in Pauillac and vineyards in Portugal and Australia ; his neighbour in Saint-Julien, Jean-Hubert Delon (382nd), owns Château Leoville Las Cases and, also in Saint-Julien, the Borie family (430th) run Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. Last but not least, to wrap up this "tour de fortune" in the French vineyards, our journey ends on the other side of the Garonne River, in Saint-Emilion, where Hubert de Bouard's family (452nd position) are the proud owners of Château Angélus.

 

 

Author:Cesar Compadre
Photo: DR SUDOUEST&AFP




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Chinese translation : 有奥兰声调的carbonnieux-酒庄

25/08/09 "La vie de château" :  Château Carbonnieux is a great classfied growth of Pessac-Léognan and historically famous for its white wine. For the past fifty years, the property has been owned by a wine growing family who originally came to France from the Oran region in Algeria at the time of the Algerian independance. In the olden days, there used to be a little Algerian wine in some bottles of Bordeaux, even if people are still very discreet about it, many years later.... The exclusive world of great châteaux owners also include some families who, like the wine, came from across the Mediteranean sea. The Perrin family, proprietors of Carbonnieux, a prestigious domain situated between the towns of Villenave d'Ornon, Léognan and Cadaujac, is one such family. Philibert Perrin, who currently runs the property with his brother Eric, sits in the office decorated with the oriental paintings left to him by his father, Anthony, and tells the story of Perrin 'père'. " My grandfather bought Carbonnieux in the Winter of 1956, the year of the 'great frost'. Friends of our family, who had bought Giscours and Rauzan-Gassies, convinced him to invest in a property in the Gironde region. The US army had bought up part of my father's land to build a air base in Algeria. He used this money to buy Carbonnieux, rather than Rauzan-Ségla or Le Tuquet." In Algeria, the battle for independance had begun two years earlier. "But no one knew what the outcome would be." The Perrin family had been living in Algeria since their ancestor, another Philibert (originally from Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy) settled in Sidi-Bel-Abbès in 1845. The Perrins had become prosperous colonial landowners with 400 hectares of land and vines. Algerian employees followed the family to France : In 1963, the family left the Oran region for good. Their Algerian and Moroccan employees followed suit. "We now have their children and grand-children living in houses on the property at Carbonnieux," explains Philibert. As is the custom, the new arrivals had to prove themselves in the exclusive vineyard 'milieu'. "The brand was well-known and my father quickly made a place for himself in the profession as well as among the wine merchants. However, repatriates were not exactly welcomed with open arms. Even today, when someone who is not from Bordeaux takes over a property, let's say people he or she is regarded suspiciously," says Philibert, with an air of amusement. A large number of families left Algeria for South West France, and repatriate solidarity helped to soften the blow of climate and culture shock. "In Oran, they had the same lifestyle as people living in Southern Spain." Not so in the Médoc or Graves regions of France. Anthony Perrin and his sons were too busy to notice as they rapidly got to work developing Carbonnieux's world-wide prestige and the other family properties of Le Sartre, Haut-Vigneau and Lafont-Menaut. At one time, the château was the family home. "We were more or less self-sufficient," recalls Philibert Perrin, "we had two vegetable gardens, an orchard, a barnyard and a donkey!" Today, only he and his mother live in the château. Seven centuries of wine growing : This suberb building, whose origins date back to the 18th century when the Benedictine monks of the Holy Cross (Sainte-Croix) ran the property, is now at the heart of a company which employs 45 people. The historical architecture has become an integral part of the château's image. "Wine tourism has taken over family life. I sometimes get nostalgic about the past," admits Philibert Perrin.

In the courtyard, flanked by the château's four towers, concerts are held from time to time. The Virginia creeper which grows up the walls there envelops seven centuries of viticultural life and of fortunate or not so fortunate destinies. Hidden in these walls is the saga of the Ferron family of lawyers and members of the Bordeaux parliment during the 16th and 17th centuries. Also buried is the story of the monks of the Holy Cross from the 18th century, whose emblem, together with that of the scallop shell, still adorns the bottles of Carbonnieux wines. "The label has changed very little", says Philibert. The Perrin name is discreetly printed on the coat of arms.There is the historic or legendary tale of the young lady from Bordeaux, who was captive of the Ottomans and who persuaded the Sultan of Constantinople to import "Carbonnieux mineral water" for the pleasure of his harem. There is a wine museum dedicated to the last century in the château's cellar, where a complete collection of every vintage since 1904 has been laid down for posterity. Next year, the Perrins plan to finish coverting old farm buildings into what will become a visitors centre. Anthony Perrin's lovely collection of vintage cars will be enhanced by the new setting and a wine boutique will be open to the public. Philibert puts his nostalgia aside and confesses his enthusiasm for the project. But the 2009 vintage will be a solemn one for the family. This will be the first vintage not to be witnessed by the late Anthony Perrin. Another page has been turned in the château's history - this time with feeling. Photo 1 : Philibert Perrin and his mother, Marie-Claude Perrin, in the great drawing room, surrounded by the portraits of the property's founders. Photo 2 : The courtyard is divided between family life and economic activity.

Author:Gilles Guitton
Photo: A. Sioc'han de Kersabiec

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Chinese translation : 葡萄藤在这里找到了迷恋的土地

17/08/09



No where else in the world are such large quantities of fine wines produced than in the Gironde region, and in the Médoc in particular.

WINE : Trading power, historical ups and downs, land, soil and grape varietal selection and especially experience and 'savoir-faire' are all key factors which have made Bordeaux the world heavyweight champion of quality wines.Bordeaux is a world famous name because of the reputation of its wines.

The only other product namesakes known worldwide are the towns of Porto in Portugal, Xeres in Spain and Cognac. It has taken centuries of hard work, coupled with a little luck to reach the level of quality and diversity which Bordeaux symbolises today. The Bordeaux area is host to 120,000 hectares of vines which cover over 10% of the surface area of this region which is the largest French 'departement' (county).

The Bordeaux vineyard also represents one sixth of the whole of France's vineyard, the latter being the largest in the world, followed by those of its close neighbours, Spain and Italy. Vines have thus made their home on the banks of the Garonne, Dordogne and Gironde rivers. Thousands of local people work either at the wineries (around 6000 individual properties) or for wine merchants (400) who, together with the brokers, are the beating heart of the Bordeaux wine trade. There are also many SMEs involved in the industry : from cork to bottle manufacturers, label printers to vat constructors, coopers to distributors of phyto-sanitary products, tractor repairmen to marketing agencies as well as all the administrative staff of professional organisations linked to the industry.

"Producers and merchants are the beating heart of the vineyard, and are supported by a vast network of SMEs" Not to be forgotten is the unlimited source of expertise in the field of education and research : from the Faculty of Oenology which has just created a brand new Institute of Vine and Wine Science, to the different laboratories, schools of commerce and specialised technical schools. The objective is to always be at the forefront of both wine production and sales techniques. The Bordeaux success story is due, as is often the case, to decades, even centuries of well organised export trade.

Although vine cultivation in France dates back to the Roman era, it was not until the 12th century, thanks to a "lucky historical marriage alliance", that Bordeaux became the great vineyard it is today. A Big Thank you to the English : As professor Philippe Roudié explains in the preface of "Bordeaux et ses Vins" (Bordeaux and its wines) (1), the marriage between Alienor of Aquitaine and the king of England opened up a market for the wines of South West France across the channel which lasted three centuries. At that time the English did not drink tea or coffee and wine travelled well because of its acidity. The port of Bordeaux, where wine was exported in barrels, played an instrumental rôle in the trade boom. As a result, large-scale vine planting began in the Médoc, Graves, Entre-Deux-Mers and Libourne areas. In the 16th century, a new impetus was given to the industry in the shape of trade links with Flanders (especially for white wines), followed by the "Golden Age" of the 18th century. Free trade flourished and the vineyard became an attractive investment for rich parlementary figures such as the Segur, Malescot and Longueville families.

The development of the domestic market, primarily that of Paris and the North, came later, with the construction of the railway network in the 19th century. The vineyard reached a total of 180,000 hectares before it was decimated by phylloxera (a miniscule insect which came from the US). In the beginning of the 20th century, when the vineyard was replanted, care was taken to choose the most suitable grape varietals for the diverse soils and micro-climates in the region. This was also the case after the devastating late frost of 1956.

The arrival of the Appellation Contrôlée label in France and the Gironde classifications in the last century, the quality level of the wines has been raised considerably; At the same time, more and more countries have discovered the pleasures of wine drinking. The outcome of this story is that Bordeaux has become the benchmark for dry and sweet white wines as well as for reds. Rosé and sparkling wines are also produced in the region.

The quality of the wines is of course closely linked to the local climate, and now global warming is giving cause for concern as to the future of this great wine region. (1) www.feret.com
Author:C.Compadre
Photo: JJ.Saubi





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Chinese translation : 炎热横扫葡萄园

15/08/09



CLIMATE : In order to increase the French population's awareness of the negative impact of global warming, Greenpeace is using the wine
world as an example and an interesting point of reference.








 Will the grapes varietals and the growers on the hillsides of Verdelais in Gironde, be able to adapt under the sun?


Read also : "The effect is a reality and the seasonal climate is becoming imbalanced."

                  "The Copenhagen Objective"

The question is : how to show the general public, in concrete terms, the real effects of global warming?
Polar ice caps melting ; biodiversity upsets including the arrival of tropical fish in our temperate latitudes ; but also evolution in vitculture and in the wines' characteristics.


This is the reference point chosen by  to rally French opinion in view of the approaching Copenhagen summit (see below).

This organization, which is at the forefront of environmental issues, recently sent an open letter to the French president. This letter was published in the 12th August edition of the newspaper "Le Monde". It was signed by fifty producers and other professionals from all the wine regions of France and underlined the "threat to the equilibrium of viticultural land and soils, as well as to the very essence of our wines, caused by global warming."

Over and above the activist element which voluntarily exaggerates in order to target opinion, this initiative has placed the vine, planted in over sixty countries around the world, in the centre of the climatic chessboard.

Attentive to the plant's needs :

"Wine is a product that means something to the French. Our next objective - also with Copenhagen in mind - will be to show how the Alpine landscape has been disrupted, "explains Anaîz Parfait, who is in charge of "climate mobilization" for Greenpeace and its membership of 85,000.

 

But what is the real impact of global warming - a subject of many controversial expert opinions - on the vine plant itself and the wines it produces? The open letter denounces pell-mell "Summer heatwaves", "hailstorms" or "diseases coming from the South", and it is difficult to get a clear picture. Even if these disturbances are confirmed, notes Stephane Derenoncourt, who is a respected oenologist in the Bordeaux area and whose signature figures on the letter (see below).


Yvon Minivelle, another signatory, is the owner of Château Lagarette (5 hectares of vines, near Bordeaux). For him, there is no question about it : "We put too many chemicals into the vineyard. We must be more attentive to the plant's needs and promote preventive treatment.

Global warming is a chance for us to ask ourselves the right questions," advocates this producer who pratices biodynamic farming.

Bordeaux wine made in Anjou?

It is common knowledge that grape varietals often reach their quality peak when grown on the appropriate soils but also in the northernmost areas of the vineyard (for example cabernet in the Bordeaux area). If the climate warms up by several degrees between now and the end of the century, the situation could change dramatically. If the Gironde region's climate is hotter, it will no longer be so suited to this varietal's development.
 Cabernet may indeed find a more favorable climate further North, for example, in Anjou. Should we think about planting Southern varietals - such as Syrah or Grenache - in Aquitaine?
Bearing in mind that, in theory, an average rise in temperature of one degree cellcius in our hemisphere would mean moving crop cultivation 300 kilometres to the North,  this is a plausible possibility. Indeed, some Champagne growers have already invested in land in the South of England : perhaps with a view to producing the famous bubbles there...One wonders, then, when we can expect to taste a good, sun-kissed red wine from Scandinavia?

But what if the vine adapted to climate change?

Let us not underestimate the vine's capacitiy for adapting to changing conditions. Contrary to popular belief, the grape varietals grown today are not always the same as those used in the vineyard centuries ago.

Bordeaux is a good example. Moreover, viticulture techniques (rootstock, cultivation methods, wine-making...) are changing and could be transfered from warmer countries to our region in South-West France. All will depends on the degree of warming, if, after all,global warming is indeed a reality.


 "The effect is a reality and the seasonal climate is becoming imbalanced."






Stéphane Derenoncourt : « We have no scientific proof as yet. » (photo : claude petit)

 « Sud Ouest » :" In your opinion, is global warming a reality?"

 Stéphane Derenoncourt : "Yes, but we must procceed with caution because we have no scientific proof as yet. However, I can assure you that there are many aberrations in the agricultural world, agriculture being one of the planet's major pollutors.
As viticulture is the "luxury ambassador" of agriculture, we must be watchful.

S.O. : "What changes have you noted in the field?"

S.D : "Firstly, the differences in the seasons, which are no longer marked as before. With excesses of rainwater, cold or heat. This has consequences on soil management in the vineyard. Vines need clear climatic information if they are to function correctly. This is not always the case these days. These climatic disturbances also have an impact on the flowering, which is often not homogeneous nowadays, with more flower abortion (shatter). As a result, there is a decrease in plot production. I have also noticed a change in the behaviour of insects. There are sometimes worrying attacks on the vines, mainly by species which are new to certain latitudes. This is the case in California at the moment."

S.O. : "What about the harvest dates and the increase in alcoholic degree in our wines in the last few years?"

S.D : "Certainly, in the past few years, we have noted that the harvests begin earlier than before. However, several 'historical series' show that this phenomenon has already occured in the past. I think this is due more to the classic "vintage effect" than to globa warming : except perhaps in the case of the heatwave vintage of 2003. In the same way, I believe that the increase in alcoholic degree is rather a result of technical improvements made in the field : trellis training, controlling the yield...This work produces wines which are more concentrated in sugar and therefore alcohol."

S.O. : "Have you noted an awareness on the part of the wine growers?"

S.D : "Producers are observant and vigilant. They are becoming more and more environmentally aware but the process is not an easy one as information is vague. Also, there is no evidence of disastrous impact in the field. The phenomenon is not a brutal one and so, the subject is often seen to be frightening with alarmist overtones. This is human nature after all. Some distributors take advantage of the situation to sell unecessary phytosanitary products to growers in dry climate countries. Global warming will provoke upheaval, but the plants will do their best to adapt.

The Copenhagen Objective :

This is the key date circled on all the climate specialists' calendars. From the 7th to the 18th December this year, the Danish capital Copenhagen will host the 15th United Nations conference on global warming. This promises to be a meeting of major and strategic importance as numerous specialists have been sounding the alarm bells for years : especially those involved with the organization called the Inter-governmental Group for Climate Change (GIEC).

This conference, held in Denmark, will be a gathering of political leaders from more than 200 countries, with serious decision-making being its official objective.

Some are saying Copenhagen will be "a climatic ultimatum", and several preparatory meetings have been held around the world. And the battle of figures for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in each country has already begun.




Author:C.Compadre
Photo: C.Petit






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Chinese translation : 卫星护航福约扎尔庄（chateau-de-fieuzal）

03/08/09

 

 

 The manager of Château de Fieuzal plans to use satellite imagery to uncover the secrets of its 85 hectare vineyard and to help prepare the harvest.

At Château de Fieuzal, which is a classified growth of the Pessac-Léognan appellation in the Graves region of Bordeaux, they plan to use modern technology to improve the quality of this propertys wines and, in doing so, restore the château's reputation of twenty to thirty years ago for top class wines. Thanks to this new technique, the de Fieuzal team has been preparing this year's harvest since last year, using satellite imagery, which enables them to closely follow the ripening process and to decide on different methods of harvesting the grapes, depending on the plot, or even within the same plot. Since 2008, this 85 hectare vineyard has been using 'Oenoview', a method of viticultural assistance jointly developed by Infoterra, which is a subsiduary company of the EADS Astrium group, and the Co-operative Institute of Wine (ICV).

 

Three years of research :

This technique, which is the result of three years of collaboration between viticultural specialists and satellite imagery technicians, shows clearly the hydric constraint -a key factor in the graperipening process.

"Our work has been to gather all the different indicators available via satellite and to combine them with ICV analyses of the bunches, the weight of the berries and their biochemical contents", explains Henri Douche, who is in charge of the Agricultural department of Infoterra. The satellite images, which have a resolution of two metres, are picked up from space by the Taiwanese satellite Formosat 2, which flies over France every day. By comparing these photos with readings on the ground, a significant correlation was found between the index of vegetal covering and the quality of the grapes. In order to obtain a clearer link between the two factors,   imagery specialists used proximity infrared photography, which is much more sensitive to vegetal covering than visible spectrum. They then "built up a library of models using the measurements taken on the ground and those by satellite imagery," adds Mr.Douche. Optimal Maturity : With the harvest just a few weeks away, Stephen Carrier, who has been manager of Château de Fieuzal since July 2007, is impatient to receive the latest computor-generated images which will enable him to thin out the just the correct amount of foliage on each vine at this crucial stage of the grapes' development, the "veraison" - when the grapes change colour, the aim being to obtain optimal maturity.

"I have gained several year's worth of information, which has saved a lot of precious time : instead of learning the hard way about individual plots after several harvests,    I now have access to transmissible technology, which can be used for future generations," explains Stephen, who is the son of a Champagne wine grower and who worked for four years at the Château Lynch-Bages in Pauillac and then in the Napa Valley in California.

Following the example of the cereal farmers, for whom Infoterra developed methods enabling a reduction of the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, the use of satellite imagery should also  help to minimalize the use of pesticides in the vineyard by varying the degree of dosage. A technological tool which is becoming more widespread : "There is still much to do and learn in the vineyard in this field of analysis," underlines Mr.Carrier, who believes that it will be possible to limit the use of phytosanitary products in the vineyard but perhaps not to do away with them completely, although he has decided to set aside four hectares of vines for organic cultivation. The service provided by Oenoview, which is already used by a handful of wine properties, costs just over one centime of a euro per bottle for a classified château. In the case of wine cooperatives, the cost can be shared out between several member wine growers. The device is already being used by the Mont Tauch Cooperative at Tuchan, in the Western Pyrennees, which produces Fitou and Corbières wines, most of which are cheap, but also some high quality bottles destined to grow in number thanks to the information gleaned from satellite imagery. "We were able to locate 20% more plots which are suitable to use for high quality wine production," claims Mr.Douche. Source: SUDOUEST
Photo:DR AFP





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