Didier Grappe | Wine from Jura
Didier Grappe is one of the most interesting natural wine producers we’ve met during our many visits to the Jura region of France. A calm, focused and slightly-introverted winemaker, he produces natural wines without any sulphur which are enjoyable, direct and fresh!
Didier Grappe is an innovator and not afraid to do things differently. He bottles all his bottles by screwcap, farms hybrid grapes and has vowed to never plant traditional Jura grapes ever again. Popular bottles include his Longefin, Pif and Traminer (which is the same grape as Savagnin, hence the name).
Didier Grappe is an innovator and not afraid to do things differently. He bottles all his bottles by screwcap, farms hybrid grapes and has vowed to never plant traditional Jura grapes ever again. Popular bottles include his Longefin, Pif and Traminer (which is the same grape as Savagnin, hence the name).
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Hybrid grapes - the future of winemaking in Jura?
In 2007 Didier returned to his home in Jura and found a few hectares and space for his winery in Saint-Lothain. These holdings have grown since then and now stand at 4.7 hectares including plots of Pinot Noir, Trousseau, Chardonnay, Savagnin and around 1.3 hectares of his newly found viticultural passion - hybrid grape varieties, such as Leon Millot or Seyve Villard. Hybrids allow Didier to follow his vision of pure, chemical-free farming with no spraying and deliver wines which for him are the future of winemaking.
In the winery, which Didier now runs together with his son Jules, they approach the process in a hands-off way, using a traditional basket press and fermenting spontaneously in stainless steel tanks followed by ageing in tank or oak barrels/casks depending on the Cuvee. All of Grappe’s wines are bottled without clarification or filtration and with absolutely no sulphur added. This delivers wines with directness, vibrancy and freshness which makes them dangerously drinkable.
In the winery, which Didier now runs together with his son Jules, they approach the process in a hands-off way, using a traditional basket press and fermenting spontaneously in stainless steel tanks followed by ageing in tank or oak barrels/casks depending on the Cuvee. All of Grappe’s wines are bottled without clarification or filtration and with absolutely no sulphur added. This delivers wines with directness, vibrancy and freshness which makes them dangerously drinkable.
Le non-conformiste jurassien...
An original in every way, Didier Grappe prefers to use screw caps on his bottles, instead of corks, which he finds problematic and too often influencing the wine in an undesired way. He also does not care about strict French appellation rules, that's why his wines are labeled as simply Vin De France. Which also means his Savagnin has to be named by it's different name, Traminer. All this plus strong belief in hybrid grape varieties makes him stand out among other winemakers in Jura.