1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 97 Brewing Cooperative

It was Ronan’s first time attending such a gathering, and he didn’t have much chance to speak. His main tasks were to watch carefully, listen silently, and drink heartily.

Over the next hour, he figured out a few things.

First, the identities and relationships of the people present:
The old man who came in and asked Jacques if he was being 'bullied' by Astrid was called Jerome, the owner of the Chateau Brut.

A large part of the rosé served in Mr. Jacques's restaurant before dinner and the rosé sold by Ronan at the market come from his winery, which is one of the best wineries in Luberon for rosé.

Ronan also learned that Provence is the only wine-producing region in France that classifies its wineries like Bordeaux.

Other regions such as Burgundy, Champagne and Alsace also classify their grape-growing areas.

Today, there are 14 'Grand Crus' in Provence, all of which were selected for their red or white wines, and rosé wine has never been on this list.

Jerome was also the original initiator of this 'party'.

His winery is already at the top level in Luberon, but its turnover is not even a fraction of other red and white wine estates. So he organized regular gatherings of a group of 'upper class' who love rosé wine, hoping to rely on their influence and social connections to increase the popularity of rosé wine in Luberon.

The party was initiated by Jerome, but he was not the leader.

As we all know, France is full of civil organizations.

The Vaucluse department has had an officially recognized rosé wine lovers' organization for decades.

There were people at Jerome's small gathering who were members of this organization, and as a result the two activities were merged into one.

Jerome supplies members to the 'Association of Lovers of Vaucluse Rosé Wine', which regularly organizes member gatherings in an official capacity.

Today, the president of the 'Vaucluse Pink Wine Lovers Association' is a lean, capable professional woman in her forties named Ines, who is the editor-in-chief of Michelin magazine.

Yes, it is the magazine that publishes the "Miphar Guide".

Michelin magazine's publications cover many fields. Ines has huge fashion and media resources and has a good relationship with the stars in Cannes. Her being the president of this organization will undoubtedly be of the greatest help to rosé wine.

Of course, every member of the organization has a prominent background.

For example, Corentin, who held an important position in the Federation of Industry and Commerce of the Vaucluse Department.

Joliet, who serves on the Vaucluse Agricultural Committee.

Gabriel, who runs a candied fruit business in Apt and exports his products all over Europe.

Jacques, who runs a two-star Michelin restaurant in Bonnieux, and others are involved in all walks of life and are one of the few official organizations in the Vaucluse department that is mainly composed of female members.

Since most of the members are women, many men with ill intentions will come in to "hunt for beauties" under the banner of loving pink wine. Therefore, the admission examination is extremely strict, and the number of members has always been small. Only those who can join are those who truly love pink wine and the leaders in various industries.

In view of Ronan's performance in the magazine and Mr. Jacques' strong recommendation, President Ines made an exception and cancelled Ronan's review process and announced that he had passed directly!

She also praised Ronan as the most fanatical member of the organization, and rewarded him with four bottles of pink wine. She told him that if it was not enough, he could always add more and the cost would be reimbursed.

Ronan was very embarrassed sitting here. Perhaps he could barely be called a representative of the 'retail industry'?

Perhaps only Astrid, who seems unreliable, can compete with him for the last place.

"What does Astrid do?" Ronan took the time to ask Mr. Jacques.

Jacques pushed up his glasses:
"Astrid doesn't have a fixed job, nor does she need one. She is a descendant of the nobility, and the castle of Laxter was left by her ancestors."

Ronan: “.” Château de Lacoste is the largest and most famous castle in the Luberon region, without a doubt.

Astrid has such a prominent background?
Jacques reminded Ronan again:
"Don't get interested in Astrid. It will hurt you."

"Why?" Ronan was really curious.

Everyone in the room had a strange attitude towards Astrid.

Jacques turned his head away with a complicated expression:

"You may learn a little about the history of that old castle when you have the chance. She is very similar to her ancestors."

Ronan nodded and decided to go back and ask Zoe.

The second thing Ronan found out was the purpose of Elliot and the man from the Vaucluse Tourism Bureau named Quincy's visit today.

Although Elliot is not a government employee, he seems to have good relations with many departments.

After observing him, Ronan thought that he was very much like the "pimp" his mother mentioned.

Introduce different forces and organizations to promote cooperation and gain some benefits from it.

The collaboration that Eliot wants to facilitate today is to encourage Ines' organization to advocate for more rosé production among wine cooperatives in the Luberon region.

According to the latest statistics from the Vaucluse department, more than 99% of wine cooperatives report red and white wines.

Ines refused on the grounds that they 'didn't have the ability', explaining that they were just a 'hobbyist' club and didn't have the ability or manpower to do this.

Ronan was confused and asked Mr. Jacques why he only asked the 'winemaking cooperative' to increase the production ratio of rosé wine, but not the regular winery, as there was a huge gap between them in scale and technology.

In the old taverns of Lourmarin, farmers often 'talked' about the ins and outs and details of the brand approved by the Moly Wine Cooperative, so Ronan had a certain understanding of both.

The wine cooperative is managed by the 'French Independent Wine Federation' and is the 'smallest' unit in the French wine system.

Only small-scale independent producers can join in, and the entire process from planting, harvesting to winemaking is done manually, which results in its output not being too high and can only supply nearby villagers.

Take the Moly Winemaking Cooperative as an example. The wine it produces is unlikely to appear in Apt and cannot be supplied to places so far away.

But things are different after the brand is approved. The Moly Wine Cooperative is no longer affiliated with the 'French Independent Wine Federation', but is managed by the Production Area Union (INAO) under the Ministry of Agriculture. It can expand its scale and use mechanical winemaking. The output will definitely increase greatly. It can also apply for winery ratings based on the quality of the wine and even sell it overseas.

Mr. Elliott: Why are they focusing on these small-scale workers?

Mr. Jacques gave Ronan an example in easy-to-understand language:
"Jerome's winery can produce rosé wine on a large scale because it is eligible to be exported to other provinces and overseas. The sales volume in Provence only accounts for a small part. The scale of the wine cooperative is too small. From a rational point of view, it should choose the type that sells better."

Ronan thought for a moment and asked:
“What if it’s irrational?”

It seems that they have limited production capacity and therefore have no reason to make rosé wine.

Jacques forced a wry smile:
"From a sentimental point of view, the art of hand-making rosé wine should be passed down. Wineries that now use machinery will adopt a more 'time-saving and labor-saving' production method."

Ronan finally understood.

The "time-saving and labor-saving" production method refers to blending red and white wines, skipping the most critical process of brewing. This is also the key reason why wine critics have always looked down on rosé wine.

Ronan thought about it thoughtfully, looked towards the center of the "negotiation" again, and listened more seriously.

(End of this chapter)