The venture started life in 2019 as a Fb group, created by Graves-based winemaker Jean-Baptiste Duquesne of Château Cazebonne. The constructive reactions from each the general public and fellow winemakers that adopted prompted the group to pursue official recognition.
‘The concept began with me and with my pal Laurent David of Château Edmus in St-Emilion. He gave me the thought of the identify “pirate”,’ Duquesne instructed Decanter.
‘So in December 2019, I created a Fb group referred to as Bordeaux Pirate to point out that Bordeaux may be totally different. Anybody may be a part of the group and speak about new issues occurring within the area. We now have over three thousand members, a couple of tenth of whom are producers.’
The group launched itself to the general public and the commerce in January 2020, when Duquesne exhibited alongside six fellow winemakers on the Wine Paris honest. ‘Then Covid hit and stopped every part for 2 years,’ Duquesne defined. Doubled in dimension, the collective returned to exhibit in 2022 whereas working in the direction of attaining official standing.
The collective now counts 10 official members, together with founders Laurent Cassy of Château Chillac and Fabien Lapeyre of Château La Peyre, in addition to Duquesne and David themselves.
The Union des Vignerons Bordeaux Pirate was arrange with the important thing objective to affiliate various and progressive winemakers. ‘Issues are not transferring in Bordeaux, we’ve standardised and stereotyped wines. Our key phrase is innovation,’ stated Duquesne, whose co-fermented Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc cuvée and work with uncared for Bordeaux grapes are examples of actions seen as difficult the established order.
‘However something new is attention-grabbing to us. It might be the packaging, the wine’s type, the way in which you’re employed within the vineyard or talk to the general public,’ he added.
In response to the group, unconventional Bordeaux producers have little possibilities to get seen, talked about and traded, with associations such because the Bordeaux Syndicat and the area’s a number of classification programs solely open to those that adjust to the factors set out by Bordeaux’s appellation construction.
To sort out this problem, the Union goals to supply various producers a collective platform to speak with professionals and with the general public. ‘The one method I’ve to get my wines tasted by a journalist is to ship them to the Syndicat, however I can solely do it if they’re labelled with an appellation [which they are not]. You need to be conformist in Bordeaux, you haven’t any different possibility,’ stated Duquesne. ‘That is going to be the one method for brand new, progressive winemakers to get their wines tasted.’
To change into a Pirate Union member, winemakers are required to pay an annual charge – from €200 to €400 relying on dimension – and have a minimum of considered one of their wines labelled as ‘pirate’ by a jury of commerce specialists. ‘All pirate wines will bear our emblem, however we’re nonetheless engaged on that as a result of we’re not allowed to make use of the phrase “Bordeaux” on it,’ stated Duquesne.
He highlighted that, not like different organisations, the Pirate Union isn’t involved with particular manufacturing strategies or philosophies. It’s as an alternative dedicated to a give attention to private id and innovation by preserving its membership as open as doable: ‘Solely on this method will we see extra innovation within the area. We’re but to finalise the set of standards that may formally outline a Bordeaux pirate wine, the one factor for now’s that every one wines should be natural.’
The factors will probably be finalised by October, when the group is planning to host its first formal tasting and judging day. The next steps will contain constructing a web site and the organisation of a sequence of official occasions throughout France.
