A wine cellar in the city

How does ‘la Micro Winerie’ work?

It’s a wine cellar, fully integrated into the Darwin ecosystem. The whole of the classic vinification process takes place here with grapes that are farmed using organic or biodynamic farming methods, picked by hand. The idea is to remove the mystique surrounding wine and its production by bringing the production site to where it’s consumed; there’s no more need to go out to a chateau to visit a cellar.

You’re open to the public then?

Of course, Micro Winerie is, first and foremost, a convivial, open space, which you can visit and where we propose tastings and blending workshops. For the moment, these workshops are only in French, but, if there’s enough demand, we’ll propose workshops in English or Spanish. We’re only just getting started, but we have lots of ideas: for example, we want to serve some atypical meals in the cellar; or have talks on wine in La Manufacture, the space located just opposite Le Magasin Général, on the other side of La Halle Darwin. We really want to create a space for discussion and sharing, all based around wine.

Your aim is to also produce your own wine. When are your first batches due?

We anticipate launching six vintages in 2022. The first, already made, is called Primitif: it’s a red wine with no sulphites. Then there’ll be two whites (one Sauvignon-Sémillon blend and one Chenin, a grape variety from Loire). We are also producing an orange wine: a white wine that follows the same vinification process as a red, macerated in its skins. The method comes from Georgia and makes for very unique aromas, with notes of cumin and orange peel. It’s also a very spicy wine that natural wine lovers will adore. We’re also planning for two more red vintages, whose names shall remain secret for now!

So you’re not only producing Bordeaux wine?

No. Of course we want to promote local wine, which is why we’re working with two winegrowers from Entre-Deux-Mers: Laurent Cassy from Domaine de Chillac and Sylvain Destrieux from Clos de la Molénie. But, we’re also sourcing our grapes from a winegrower in the Loire - Elisabeth Nouteau from Domaine du Verger- as we want to make classics, working with grape varieties and blends that change.

La Micro Winerie
87 Quai des Queyries, Bordeaux