At a time when cryptogamic diseases are raging in the vineyards and the means of combating them are posing more and more questions for the citizens of the land, who have to preserve their soil, their nature and their health, a handful of researchers are organizing resistance.

From their experimental station in La Clape, determined agronomic scientists are trying to stand up to their adversary, who nevertheless deploys a panoply of evasive strategies.
They are now joined by numerous partners in the Occitanie region, France’s leading center of sustainable resistance.

We are getting ready to join this team and welcome the fruit of our years of labor to our land. These are 2 potential candidates who could in future keep these devastating diseases at bay while preserving our planet and continuing to produce what some have called “the nectar of the gods”.
This 4-part story will tell you the tale of our 2 new boarders, who will land in Soustres in February for a few years of experimentation and, we hope, some pleasant wine-growing surprises!

But to reduce the suspense, we’re already giving you a few clues to help you identify them!

Clue 1: they’re not animal, and therefore not the “friends” of Lolo and Imprévu, the 2 adorable donkeys from Provence who have been cleaning up our undergrowth and uncultivated plots for the past 2 years.

Clue 2: They’re plant-based, and in fact, they’re vines from the Vitis family.

Clue 3: They are the result of a long line of crosses and come from a preserved site, a veritable conservatory of species and varieties, in the heart of the Massif de la Clape.

Clue 4: They have names like RD-2D and C3-PO, but they don’t travel the galaxy in Millennium Falcon.

Clue 5: They could well play a role in the future of viticulture, with or without Princess Leia.

Clue 6 : They were chosen for their resilience, but their genetic weaponry has yet to prove itself.