Winery: Story of family passion for wine

From Paule to Georges, then Gérard Bertrand and finally Emma & Mathias, there are four generations worth of passion and knowledge in these wines. As the son of a winegrower, Gérard Bertrand begins his story in 1975 after he harvests his first grapes and discovers a passion for wine. Growing up playing rugby, Gérard Bertrand became very attached to the values of performance and excellence learned on the rugby fields. He, therefore, applies this spirit to his quest to reveal the best terroirs of his region and promote them throughout the world. In 1987, Gérard Bertrand took over the family torch at Domaine de Villemajou and in 1992 created the Gérard Bertrand wine company in order to develop a range of wines from the South of France.

Gérard Bertrand strongly believed in the fact that the best way to reveal the typicity of a terroir and to develop Great Wines is to practice viticulture in harmony with nature. For that reason, starting in 2002, Gérard Bertrand committed to ensuring that all the Domains are cultivated according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture. With languedoc’s biodynamic reference vintages, a particular emphasis is placed on maintaining a balance between the vine and its environment, enabling the Gérard Bertrand Group to create great wines with all the nuances of their terroir. This strategic priority has enabled the Gérard Bertrand Group to become a spearhead of a viticulture committed to a better future.

The Gérard Bertrand Group shares four key values: Excellence, Innovation, Naturalness, Conviviality. With a common vision and goal of creating excellence at every stage, from harvesting to bottling, through vinification and maturing, the Gérard Bertrand Group is able to produce great wines through patience, rigour, intuition as well as not being afraid of the "Thousand and one details". They also strive to innovate and set trends through unique and different gourmet wines and bottle design. With a large range of production including quality wines, organic wines, sulphite-free wines and wines from biodynamic agriculture, they have options for all types of consumers. Gérard Bertrand emphasises the importance of respecting nature: “Preserving the environment in the long term, restoring harmony and balance to the ecosystems, enhancing the precision of winegrowers' actions, reaching out to future generations: these are today's challenges and these will be tomorrow's obligations.”. The Gérard Bertrand Group is also strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and is taking major steps through the creation of a carbon balance sheet. The fourth key value of the group is conviviality. The Gérard Bertrand Group believes in the importance of conveying the region’s Art de Vivre and heritage. They have dedicated the group’s headquarters, Château l'Hospitalet, to the Mediterranean Art de Vivre: a place for celebrations, dinner and gatherings. 

 

#BeTheChange with Gérard Bertrand: make everyday Earth Day

Since 2002, the Gérard Bertrand Group has committed to organic farming and have been practicing biodynamic farming in their estates. There are now more than 920 hectares divided into 15 estates that are cultivated biodynamically. To them, viticulture that respects nature is the best way to bring terroir wines to the highest level of excellence. With these years of experience gained, the group has been able to develop a real know-how and skills that they now aim to pass on and share to the wine world in order to bring about positive change. In leading this change, the Gérard Bertrand Group emphasises that going organic for winegrowers means being able to unlearn in order to relearn, to have patience and humility and above all to set up a new organisation and a new economic model. They have therefore set the example by committing themselves as a long-term partner to winegrowers and cooperative wineries by positioning themselves as allies in technical and economic conversion involved in this change. A vineyard in excellent health, a preserved environment and magnified wines demonstrate the relevance of the approach.

#BeTheChange was a topic initiated by Gérard Bertrand as he believes “preserving the environment in the long term, restoring harmony and balance to the ecosystems, enhancing the precision of winegrowers' actions, reaching out to future generations: these are today's challenges and these will be tomorrow's obligations.”. Considering the key importance of protecting bees and pollinators, #BeeTheChange is also strongly emphasized by the Gérard Bertrand Group. With bees being true sentinels of the environment and their an essential role in agriculture and biodiversity, through pollination, “Bee Friendly” labels on wine bottles allows consumers to identify agricultural practices and products that respect pollinators. The Gérard Bertrand Group also uses the European “AB” label on their wines to help consumers identify wines that meet precise specifications based on the prohibition of the use of products derived from synthetic chemistry. It guarantees that the production method is environmentally friendly and respects animal welfare. The “CAB” label is a transitional label that is reserved for wines from Occitania. It promotes and supports producers who are moving towards European AB certification by encouraging the development of environmentally friendly viticulture. For consumers, it also represents a guarantee of quality, as eligible wines must meet the requirements of organic winemaking before being marketed. The international brand of biodynamic agriculture can also be identified on Gérard Bertrand wines. Biodynamics is a sustainable organic farming method that promotes greater soil biodiversity and strives to naturally enhance plant health. With very strict specifications, it ensures the respect of biodynamic practices on the agricultural fields and the quality of the products during their transformation. The Gérard Bertrand Group also strives to lead change through creating vegan-friendly products that use alternative vegetable glues involved in the wine clarification process and by creating sulphite free wines.