“If, by chance, it starts to rain a little again, we hope to have a first real harvest this year! », confides Florent Héritier, auscultating the few leaves yellowed by the heat. At work in his new plots, on the heights of Menthon-Saint-Bernard (Haute-Savoie), the winemaker remains confident: the mild climate and the limestone soil promise wines with great finesse.
Here, his work seems also and above all carried by this frame worthy of a painting. To the east, the towers of the Château de Menthon. To the west, the blue reflections of Lake Annecy. Since the beginning of the 2010s, these landscapes, usually highly coveted by property developers, such as in Veyrier-du-Lac, Talloires or Villaz, have been slowly reinvested by local winegrowers who no longer hesitate to seize opportunities.
A long-standing wine culture
When Florent Héritier moved in four years ago, the land, owned by the lords of Menthon, which sometimes housed a farmer’s heifers, was fallow. After months of study and work, the professional was able to settle down, completing his operation in Frangy, an hour’s drive away. He was able to replant 3.5 hectares of terraces with Pieds d’Altesse but also Mondeuse, Jacquère, or Doux Noire, old Savoyard grape varieties that he wants to bring up to date.
“All of this is above all the story of a rebirth”, explains Florent Héritier. Because if the idea of reviving viticulture here was born according to family walks under the fortress, it was a discussion with a nostalgic neighbor, followed by a visit to the departmental archives, which really launched the project. “At that time, we understood that at the beginning of the 20th century, viticulture was omnipresent on the shores of the lake, before disappearing with the phylloxera crisis, the world wars, and then real estate development! »says André Marinoni, the winemaker’s father-in-law.
With the agreement of the new heirs of Menthon, he co-founded the association “Le clos du Château” to support the return of vines to the region. Thanks to the membership of several hundred inhabitants, the structure made it possible to provide a little volunteer labor and to raise 50% of the €60,000 investment required.
The support of a starred chef
This enthusiasm is ” An evidence “ for his brother Philippe Héritier, who also replanted, last March, 1.2 hectares of vines in the town of Talloires, also on the edge of the lake. In 2018, the owner enthusiastically discovered an old photo that showed a plot of land full of vines and followed the recommendations of Jean Sulpice, chef of the Auberge du Père Bise, a starred restaurant on the shores of the lake, a long-time partner date of the winemaker.
« When I set foot on the spot, I immediately saw the interest of this terroir: a land rich in nutrients, left upstream from a glacial lock, combined with the reflection of the sun and the humidity offered by the lake ! », says Philippe Héritier. For him, the small plot he was able to find, between the hermitage of Saint-Germain and the thousand-year-old abbey of Talloires, is in a perfect location: “I don’t think these men settled here by chance! »launches this enthusiast.
Prospects for wine tourism
“The impetus was given to Veyrier in 2015, with the association Les vignes du lac and Bruno Lupin”, the first operator to have relaunched viticulture on the shores of the lake in a town located a little further north, would like to remind Michel Grisard, specialist in Savoyard wines. President of the Center for Alpine Ampelography (the science that studies the different grape varieties), he is delighted to see the new winegrowers on the shores of the lake uniting their efforts to integrate the Protected Geographical Indication « Vin des Allobroges”, a renowned product from Haute-Savoie. “What is certain is that it will make different wines! »estimates the expert.
The return of vines around Lake Annecy enhances the landscape and gives new perspectives to local wine tourism. “This is a perfect opportunity to connect consumers to the earth! », hopes Philippe Héritier. In the 1950s, the ampelographer Pierre Galet already mentioned the wines of Talloires as highly prized products on Parisian tables…
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Early harvest in French vineyards
The first pruning shears were given on August 16 in the Bordeaux vineyards. It’s about the harvest “earliest” never known in the region, according to Jacques Lurton, president of the Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux appellation syndicate. This earliness is due to the heat wave and drought. In many French wine-growing areas, the high temperatures of June, July and August accelerated the ripening of the grapes, forcing winegrowers to bring the harvest forward. Some Languedoc-Roussillon winegrowers even started the harvest at the end of July.