Forteresse de Berrye

Forteresse de Berrye’s expressive and terroir-focused wines are crafted in a simple and direct way by its new owner, Gilles Colinet, an agronomist and agricultural engineer—among the many métiers of his diverse professional life. Starting with the elimination of all chemical applications in 2019, he began organic culture in 2021 (cert. 2024). His winery is a former military base, the fortress and vineyards strategically located on one of the higher hills in Saumur (~100m). The vineyards grow on predominantly yellowish tuffeau limestone with relatively thin topsoil (a mixture of silt, sand and clay, depending on the parcel), and the average age of the vines is 30 years. The 26ha property is planted to 10.5ha of vines while the rest is wild forest and 6ha of newly planted trees to further encourage biodiversity. Winemaking practices and bottlings continue to evolve, and most will be fermented and aged in concrete and/or predominantly old oak barrels.