DIDIER GRAPPE NATURAL WINES

Didier Grappe
Jura, France

In the small wine village of Saint-Lothain, located in the very heart of the Jura, Didier Grappe is producing some of the most exciting natural wines in the region. His 3.8 hectare vineyard is home to Pinot Noir, Trousseau, Ploussard, Savagnin and Chardonnay vines, located on the appellation of Côtes du Jura.

Didier has been working with vines since 2001, after studying at the Lycée Vinicole de Beaune, where he became aware of natural and sustainable viticulture. In 2007 he found an old farm with an adjoining cellar in his native village, where today he produces his eponymous cuvées.

From day one, he began converting his vineyards to Organic and achieved Ecocert certification. His vines sit amongst rambling expressions of local flora and fauna, where his viticulture shows the utmost respect for the environment. Using no chemical treatments, he produces tea and extracts of medicinal herbs such as comfrey to protect his plants.

Didier Grappe practises winemaking with the least amount of intervention possible to produce wines that express the quintessence of their terroir. Adopting a less is more approach in the cellar, there are no added yeasts, chaptalization, acidifying, filtering or fining. His interest lies in making wines  Ouillé - by which each barrel is regularly filled to avoid any oxidation and formation of a veil of yeast -  to preserve the varietal character of each wine.