France: Recognition Of Wine Region Driven By Disabled Workers

(Wine-Searcher) - In the far south of France, four friends have revived an extinct wine-growing area with the help of 70 mentally handicapped adults and youths in the region.

The Domaine de Sabarthès team enjoyed the sweet taste of victory during this year's harvest after winning recognition for Ariège as a protected geographical indication, 15 years after the renaissance of the vineyard.

"People thought we were crazy when we started this project because wine production had disappeared in the 1920s," says Marc Vigneau, assistant managing director of the local branch of APAJH, the association for handicapped adults and young people.

"Phylloxera had destroyed the 1,500 hectares [3,706 acres] of vineyards in the late 19th century. The traditional vines were replaced with hybrids making lower-quality wine, and with the rural exodus to the city and the local mining industry's decline, the local customer base eroded."

Marc’s brother, Jean-Louis Vigneau, and his friend Philippe Babin decided to take action. They could see no reason why Ariège should be the only department in the Pyrénées that produced no wine.

“It has a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages,” says Babin. "Historians have even found evidence of wine shipments from Ariège to Bordeaux at that time."

The pair collaborated with other locals, including wine producer Christian Gerber, who had official planting authorization under French law. Together they formed “Vignerons d'Ariège” (Winegrowers of Ariège) in 1997 and planted 45 hectares of vines. A winery soon followed and the inaugural vintage of Domaine de Sabarthès was produced when the vines reached the tender age of three.

In the period between planting the vines and the first vintage, the team launched a subscription scheme to raise money. One thousand locals donated more than 200 euros ($269) each in return for 60 bottles of wine over five years.