Near Rouen, the harvest of Domaine Saint Expédit begins
This month of September marks the time of the harvest. Near Rouen, on the slopes of Freneuse, Edouard Capron, winegrower, planted 3,000 vines. This Wednesday, he called on his entourage for the first days of the harvest.
Sun-drenched hillsides spread over two hectares…. In Freneuse, near Elbeuf, it’s harvest time for these pinot gris plants. Edouard Capron, winegrower, called on a few extra pairs of arms to help him with his harvest.
As reinforcements, students from the hotel school in Louviers came to lend a hand. It is also an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of oenology.
“We have a very theoretical phase on wine. For example, in some courses, we study wine for 4 hours, but many have never seen vines. There, it is an opportunity to combine our theory with a practice because there we find ourselves in a real vineyard. Everything is done in a good mood, we are happy to be here!“, confides pruning shears in hand, Nahum Pavette, student in BTS Hospitality-Restaurant.
Locals also came to lend a hand. A way to support this slightly crazy project of a 100% Norman wine, which was born in 2016. »I am a neighbour, I live 200 meters away. I think it’s great, the site is magnificent and historically in Freneuse there have already been vines. For us who are 200 meters away, it’s extraordinary”rejoices Jacky Delaitre, neighbor of the Sotteville-sous-le-Val farm (Seine-Maritime).
Edouard Capron is a former wine merchant. This enthusiast has chosen to replant Chenin and Fromentel here, two grape varieties that were cultivated for a long time in Normandy during the Middle Ages. Some ancestral gestures have hardly changed since.
“It’s a wine that has its typicality, it’s a wine that you don’t find everywhere. It’s very pleasant, we find both flavors and a tone of the other different. We are on wines which are quite lively on the freshness but which on the other hand at the aromatic level releases very beautiful varieties“, details Édouard Capron.
Only time will tell if the 2022 Cuvée will be a success. But Edouard Capron can already congratulate himself. He realized his dream, that of growing his vines on the limestone soils of Normandy.