Grenache Blanc

Monsieur Sylvain Bock and his quest to make wine that is a triumphant display of grapes and their surroundings is inspiring. He wasn't born into winemaking, or at least he thought he wasn't, both of his parents were teachers. He later found out that his grandfather was a well known vigneron from Alsace which sealed his fate. Sylvain worked in other people's wineries for 10 years before establishing his own domaine BOCK in 2010 with just over 4ha in Alba la Romaine and Valvignières in the South of Ardèche.

Jean-Sébastien Gion lives and loves near the city of Perpignan in Rousillon. He loves to be in the vineyard, listening to his vines, trying to detect what they need - a practice he learned, no doubt, from his former teacher Thierry Puzelat in Loire. In the winery, Jean-Sébastien tries to craft wines that are as close to nature as possible, often without any added SO2.

In the hills of Avignon, around the village of St Remy de Provence that was once famously frequented by Van Gogh, lives another kind of protégé. Henri Milan has more or less been a vigneron since birth, planting his first vine at the age of 8 and taking over from his father in 1986. His work in the vineyard shows his complete respect for nature and terroir: practicing biodynamics on the land and being the first in his family to decide to vinify the parcels separately, revealing their outstanding individual potential.

British born Jo Jefferies moved out to Languedoc to help out his dad with some construction work many moons ago. Naturally, he fell in love and decided to stay, later establishing Domaine Bories-Jefferies from vines that used to belong to his in-laws. The vineyard lies on volcanic soils which adds freshness and crazy-good minerality in the finished wines. Inspired by his friends Bernard Bellahsen and Rémi Pujol, Jo describes his wines as home made. He says if you were making a cake at home would you add additives, chemicals? Of course not.

From Bee Keeper to influential vigneron, Eric Pfifferling lives a life as close to nature as any. His work demonstrates energy, life and precise craftsmanship. Eric inherited 4ha of ancient vines from his grandmother in Southern Rhone's Tavel in 1988, later adding 3ha in Lirac. The soils are rich with gallets, identical to those found in neighbouring Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Initially Eric sold off his fruit to the local cooperative in Tavel, before deciding to making his own wine. After many trials, his first proper vintage was 2002. In the cellar, Eric is unique.