Stéphanie took over the Ventenac vineyard created by her father, Alain. Stéphanie has previously worked in wine communications for leading houses, and was elected president of the Cabardès appellation at the same time as running the estate. This PDO has been at the heart of their production and they are leading ambassadors for this beautiful Languedoc appellation. Together with her husband, Olivier, they have devoted themselves to developing the estate and bringing their wines to a wider audience. Their commitment to the environment was swift, with a transition to organic farming and the cessation of all chemical inputs to treat the soil.

Stéphanie, Olivier and their children are committed to “desacralizing”, offering a simple, modern approach to winemaking, with unpretentious wines of undisputed quality.

Claude Vialade is the founder of Domaines Auriol and Château Cicéron. As a child, Claude was always out and about with his father Jean in the vineyards where he worked. Jean was one of the pioneers of organic farming in France, back in the 60s! This gave his daughter Claude a taste for commitment and wine, where she began her career as soon as she finished her studies.

First working in the international wine trade, before taking over the management of the Corbières PDO, which she helped to make known worldwide. In 2000, she decided to launch Domaines Auriol and then Château Cicéron. It offers a wide range of excellent Languedoc wines, most of them certified organic. Claude is determined to continue his father’s commitment to the transition to responsible organic farming. Today, Claude is slowly preparing his succession, handing over the running of the business to his son Jordi. Today, in addition to vines, they have diversified their land with olive trees and native plants. A beautiful family story, resolutely focused on the future.

The origins of Château Champ des soeurs go back to the 17th century, but today it’s a couple, Marie and Laurent, who run the estate. Just 3km from the sea, the estate is located in the village of Fitou, one of the driest villages in France. That’s why, in the late 90’s, Laurent and Marie decided to push the commitment of their newly-acquired estate to the highest level. They adhere to the very strict Terra Vitis specifications, then look for every possible innovation to contribute to biodiversity in the field.

The latest idea to be put into practice: the estate now grows hundreds of Aloe Vera and cactus plants among the vines, to combat the risk of fire, participate in agroforestry and diversify their production.

Today, Marie works on the vinification and ageing of the wines, while Laurent works in the vineyards, to offer high-quality, diversified, high-flying wines. They are even considered a benchmark in the region.

It’s a beautiful story that began in 1992, when Klaus Grohe, a German on vacation in the Languedoc, fell in love with the region and decided to bring his whole family back by buying an estate lost in the hinterland, seeing its potential. They have renovated and modernized the estate, while retaining many of its traditional winemaking methods.

As a family, they have also been involved in the estate’s transition to organic farming and more environmentally-friendly methods. Today, Nicolas, one of Klaus’ four sons, has taken over the management of Domaine La Louvière and, with his team, continues to innovate in terms of sustainable development and quality wines.