The returnof the vine

La Vinadie vineyard

As the leaves of the vines turn golden in the sunlight, and the bees swirl around the wild flowers, you can hear the grape-pickers laughing as they gather the beautiful bunches of Merlot, Malbec and Mansois grapes from La Vinadie.

Reconquering

collective

From a challenge, it has become a real collective project! 10 founding members created the Société Coopérative d’Intérêt Collectif (SCIC) in 2018. The following year, the first plantations went into the ground, and today 550 members have joined the adventure. 5.3 hectares of vines are slowly growing, under the watchful eye of vineyard manager Bernard Lacombe. The first harvest was a triumph, and “the development of the vineyard is still in its infancy”!

Red, rosé and white,

but organic!

Reviving the region’s vineyards, after their disappearance in 1878 following the Phylloxera epidemic, was the first challenge. The second was to do so in a way that respected nature and biodiversity. This has now been achieved, as “the choice of 100% organic viticulture has been made (…), the fruit of a shared desire to be part of a sustainable development approach”. 3 main grape varieties – Malbec, Merlot and Mansois – have been selected for the reds and rosés, and 4 complementary varieties – Muscat d’Alexandrie, Muscadelle, Colombard and Sémillon – for the whites. All the grapes are harvested by hand, by the members of the family, with the patience and gentleness needed to harvest the best grapes.

La Vinadie

in figures

SCIC with 550 members, 6 colleges, 1 vineyard manager and an apprentice
5.3 hectares of vines and 7 grape varieties (Malbec, Merlot, Mansois, Muscat d’Alexandrie, Muscadelle, Colombard and Sémillon)
100% organic, plot-by-plot harvesting, hand-picking and bottling on the estate
100% direct sales by members

Taste

to be together

Conviviality, pleasure and satisfaction were the three words I used during my visit to the vineyard. All are happy to contribute to the rebirth of a remarkable product that was missing from the local terroir panel. La Vinadie also produces and supports independent winegrowers in our region. This project is a fine example of the reconquest of solidarity: wine is coming back to our land, and who knows, maybe other ideas will emerge tomorrow…!

Follow the life of La Vinadie

Very active locally, La Vinadie invites you to follow all their adventures on their Facebook page and Instagram account! And if you want to support an economic project that makes sense, to revive a key element of our territory, join the adventure by becoming one of the 550 members!