Behind the vine
Amandine Marchive - Domaine des Malandes - Chablis, Burgundy, France
When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?
As I am the last of 3 brothers and sisters, I always thought that I would keep wine as a passion, and my siblings would take over the family winery. When my mother decided to retire, my brother, who was already a winemaker in Beaujolais (he created his winery in Moulin à Vent in 2007), asked me to join him. So I would not say it is a “career”, but only a late commitment! My older sister lives in USA and work for a oenological products company.
What story does your wine tell?
It tells the story of millions of years of geology through the fossils and landscapes of our vineyard and centuries of human work to find the perfect variety for our climate and soil. It tells the story of my grandparents, who planted 14Ha of vineyards whereas it was not possible to make a living from winemaking at that time (heavy spring frost…). It tells the story of my mother, who was one of the first woman to run a winery in Chablis.
What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?
I think people should forget their misconceptions about vine growing. Many people think that we work only during the harvest, but we need to care for the vines all year long: the pruning last 4 months during winter, then we attach the vine to the wire in April, then we put up the wire while the vine grows. We also have a lot of work on the tractor: to plow the soil, to spread the manure, to protect the vines with organic treatments. Vine growing is a 12 months per year job!
What great things about wine do you think people should remember?
People should remember the happy moment of sharing! In this weird period, we realize how important it is…
What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?
In vineyard farming, women need to be confident and learn about mechanical stuff. This is not what we learn at school, neither with the family, because the boys are usually more interested to learn to work with their hands, but it is very important to be independent, even for basic stuff.
Who is a woman that inspired you?
My mother of course! She has a lot of positive energy and charisma. She went through personal and professional difficulties but she never gave up. She could find the right people to work with her toward the same objectives: make great wines!
Where can women find your wine?
They can find our wines in many countries around the world, in wineshops and restaurants.
Find your local option here.