An interesting trip which highlighted the importance of Terroir in Burgundy and Chablis and contrasted the different approaches of organic and lutte raisonné (? spelling)) to wine making and also the difference of scale between the small producers in Burgundy and Chablis and the evidently wealthy growers in Champagne.

The passion and dedication of the various wine makers came over loud and clear and also what was most interesting was that with the exception of Champagne every grower we visited used manual picking exclusively.  Gremillet also use manual harvesting but machine picked grapes are also used in the assemblage and while triage tables were used at Dupont Tisserandot and Chicotot they really were a final catch-all to supplement the careful selection in the vineyard by the pickers.

Garbage in ,garbage out was also the message -   The best wines come from carefully grown and handled grapes and also minimal intervention in the winery.  Also the use of indigenous yeasts rather than cultured ones again was to the fore.

A further contrast was the degree of  computerisation and investment is stainless steel by the different producers, from the relatively modest amount at Dupont Tisserandot and Chicotot and Bois d’Yver via the computerised set up at Pinson with mainly stainless steel to the vast oil refinery-like installation at Gremillet, and yet by Champagne standards they are mere bit players.  What is common to everyone is that they all care about getting the best from the grapes during fermentation.

All in all we buy handcrafted wines from enthusiatic and dedicated meticulous vignerons.

The other oustanding point of the trip was the warmth of the welcome that we recieved everywhere and the generosity of the growers in their provision of tasting samples, the quality and amount of lunches provided; memorable items include apple tart with Crémant de Bourgogne at Pinson after magnums of 1er Cru Chablis and the generous amount of Champagne given to us by Gremillet.  We were made to feel extremely special yet at the same time almost part of their family in every case.  Perhaps the greatest surprise was the huge glass at Gremillet which became a “communion chalice” among all of us with the kind gift of the special cuvée to fill it, not to mention the T-Shirts and the lubrication for the journey back to the airport, all amazing.

We have much to thank each of the producers for and also now have a better understanding of the way they work and the problems they face and are happy and proud to promote their wines.