Devois De Joviac

The winemaker…

Born in Ardèche, agricultural employee for 23 years, I created my own agricultural operation in 2017, alongside my job. Since then, I have been raising Sologne sheep with the aim of helping to preserve the endangered breed. And then more recently, I started growing vines and making wine. But why the vine and the wine?

It started 25 years ago with my partner's grandfather. I was interested in his practice when he made wine for family consumption... My in-laws have been winegrowers for several generations. And when my father-in-law retired in January 2021, I wanted to take over a family plot that he cultivated for around thirty years. It is located on the border of the towns of Alba la Romaine and Valvignères, in the "Raillères" district, where the family's ancestors were born. Hence the name given to my first vintage…

Then, I expanded in Spring 2022. I took over another family plot, a little larger than the first. They are Syrah. Surrounded by winegrower friends, I learned from them how to make natural wines. It was Léna and Alexis, from Domaine des Bois Perdus, who were kind enough to welcome me into their cellar to make wine while waiting to build mine.

My practice:

I intervene according to what the vine asks of me, its needs, always being careful to respect it. I sometimes work it with the tractor but I try to be as little mechanized as possible. I amend the ground with my sheep's manure. I use sulfur and copper to fight disease. The harvest is done by hand.

In the cellar, fermentations start with native yeasts. Then the juices are monitored but I do not add any sulphite. In addition, my wines are unfiltered. Wine reminds me of conviviality, sharing and moments of taste pleasure. But to be able to fully appreciate these moments, it is important for me to know that we are drinking a natural wine, free of any chemicals, produced with respect for nature and ancestral traditions.