Beaujolais is the motherland of natural wines.

In the 1970s, new generations of winemakers were trained in the use of oenological techniques and products. Jules Chauvet, a wine merchant in La Chapelle de Guinchay, in Beaujolais, a great taster but also a tireless researcher, was one of the very first to rebel against these new practices that were gaining ground everywhere in winemaking cellars; " odors have replaced aromas ," he lamented, in front of these wines, certainly flawless, but also without relief, and all similar to each other. It was under his guilt that the emblematic winemaker of Villié-Morgon, Marcel Lapierre, very early on made his return to "natural wine," soon bringing with him some of his peers, whose ranks would swell over the years and the battles won over technological wine.

When I moved to Beaujolais, it wasn't difficult for me to fall into the pot myself. The many opportunities to taste the wines of Yvon Métras, Guy Breton, Philippe Jambon and others soon convinced me to join the long cohort of natural winemakers in the area.

THE miracle of hybridization

Lyon, June 1902. Dr. Michon, who presided over the 3rd International Congress on Vine Hybridization, gave his closing speech:

 » … Il ne faut pas perdre courage, si le résultat cherché n’est pas atteint du premier coup, il ne pouvait l’être et nous avons eu tort de l’escompter, ou si la marche en avant est trop lente au gré de notre impatience. Let us therefore give credit to the hybridizers and collaborate in their work of public utility by informing them exactly, without childish enthusiasm and without commercial concerns, on the virtues and vices of their children. In their interest as much as in ours, let us not be afraid to be severe. (...). The wine must sing in our glasses, shimmering ruby, sunny nectar, composto di umore e di luce, as Galileo so aptly defined it. Then it will regain the favors of all its lost lovers. Pleasant and hygienic, solid and abundant, this true wine, which will warm the heart without going to the head, will be an inexpensive wine, easy to make, and requiring, for its success and its keeping, no more care and drugs than the robust grape varieties which will have produced it will require for their cultivation. In saying goodbye to sulfides and sulfates, we will also have to take leave of acids and sugar. Good wine from the grape and from the grape alone, such will be the miracle of hybridization ! his return to the simple processes of yesteryear and to honest routine will be a great progress; this step backward will be a triumphant race forward ! "

Jules Chauvet and his disciples were the first to re-engage the reverse gear, almost fifty years ago. Now it remains to transform the experiment, by removing from the vine the inputs necessary for its cultivation, as they once had the audacity to do in the cellar.

The return of resistant grape varieties to the forefront of the wine scene finally fuels hope that Dr. Michon's wishes will be granted, more than 120 years after he made them.

 "Good wine from the grape and from the grape alone, such will be the miracle of hybridization ! "; an exciting adventure for viticulture, in which I am proud to participate !