The story of a Burgundian winegrower

First I must confess I am not a wine connoisseur.  What I do know, however, is that in the world of fine wine, the only region in France that can truly rival the supremacy of Bordeaux is Burgundy. These two regions, however, are so different in nature that any comparison could only be a gross generalisation. This is what I will try to avoid here.

Savigny des Beaune

My observation is based on a recent visit to a very small producer in the village of Savigny des Beaune, a few kilometres from Beaune. The Ecards, like most growers in the region, is a family-run operation, and by that I mean a husband and wife team, plus hired help during the harvest. Their 4.3-hectare plot produces only 20,000 bottles of premier cru wine in a year.  Most plots have a minimum size of 7.5 hectares.  It is also quite common for larger producers to own appellations in different parts of Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits.

Family home cum wine tasting cellar

The Ecards started out on their own in 2005 and rented the land owned by the family. The start up was not easy by any measure because Michel inherited nothing other than the skills and experiences that he had acquired from working with his parents and grandparents. His wife, Joanna, had to put her own career on hold in order to help establish the operation.

The wine tasting cellar

We spent over an hour tasting the wines at their home cellar and more interestingly, learned about their thinking, their vision and their passion for what they are doing and for the region.

It was Easter Monday, a time for family gatherings. But the Ecards took time to show us their production facility and vineyard with great enthusiasm.  There was absolutely no pressure to buy anything, and even if we wanted to make a purchase, it would not have been possible because it was Easter. How inflexible, how French!

The wine cellar at the production facility

The Burgundians, as they call themselves, are proud people, warm and hospitable. My heart went out to Michel when I saw in his eyes glimpses of hope that his twelve years old son would grow up overnight and be a part of his wine business which is just beginning to generate enough income to cover his mortgage.  Michel is basically a farmer, it just happens that he grows vine. In his words, "I take care of the vines in the way I know best and let nature run its course." I admire his respect for nature and for not meddling with it. He is in the least interested in the marketing side of the business which is being handled by an agent.

Ecard's vineyard in full view

It goes without saying that the Ecards represents only a small percentage of wine producers in the region. And there are the famous Grand Cru estates, such as Romanee Conti, that have become very commercialised at the other end of the spectrum of wine consumption - targeted almost exclusively at the rich and famous, whose doors remain firmly shut.

A bottle of wine is typically made with grapes from two vines

April is the time for pruning while September is for harvesting