Internship in the Jura

It's coronavirus time and restaurants are still closed. Job, my employer, suggested: why don't you do an internship at Domaine Les Bottes Rouges in the Jura Mountains, France? "Okay, why not, sounds great!" I said. No sooner said than done.

Apprenticed by Jean-Baptiste & Florien

Jean-Baptiste Menigoz and Florien Kleine Snuverink are winemakers and owners of Domaine Les Bottes Rouges, located in the small village of Abergement-le-Petit, near Arbois. Jean-Baptiste, a former teacher, was already making a small amount of his own wine alongside his work and interned with the renowned Stéphane Tissot. In 2012, he left school and devoted himself entirely to his own winery.

Florien Kleine Snuverink, former owner of Café Schiller on Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam, soon followed suit. First as an intern and later as co-owner. Jean-Baptiste and Florien are truly a pair, bickering like brother and sister and bantering like age-old friends. Together, they run the business as naturally as possible, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Curious? The wines are available at Clavelin wine import .

The more you learn, the less you know

I've now been at it for two weeks and have had to work harder than I've worked in the entire past six months. If you need to brush up on your basic knowledge of the Jura, read the regional section on Le Clubs Insta . This internship was such a whirlwind of impressions that I don't really know where to begin. So why not just start with my conclusions:

1. Sommeliers know everything about wine, but very little about grape growing and viticulture—at least, that was the case for me. It all seems so clear and simple in a textbook, but what does it actually mean in practice?
2. Everything you read about viticulture and winemaking is true, until it's not true anymore – especially in 'natural winemaking', but anyway every year and region is different
3. Making wine is anything but romantic – was I really so naive to think that everything surrounding wine is romantic?!

So many questions

This trip got me thinking about all sorts of things: what's the importance of organic viticulture? When is a wine expensive and when is it precious? How much influence do you have as a winemaker or grape grower? And what actually has to happen in the vineyard before the first bunch of grapes can be harvested? In our daily work, we sommeliers (or wine sellers in any other industry) are primarily concerned with storytelling. That Pete does things differently from Johnny and why that's so special. Which vintages are best to drink. Or which style/producer best suits the guest's wishes. If only there were a euro in the piggy bank for every time I used the word "terroir." Or that a book says "wine is made in the vineyard," etc., etc. But why do we actually know so little about this?! It made me blush a little.

Winter pruning

The past two weeks heralded the start of the season. The moment winter pruning is complete, the sap starts flowing, and the buds begin to open. We pruned the last vine and pulled out the old wood to ensure two beautiful canes remained for the new season. We expertly tied these back to the trellis. – at least I did my best. But how many buds are we going to leave? We don't want excessive yields, but at the same time, you also know that night frost can ruin part of your harvest. – Doubts. Tying it up is, by the way, the most nerve-racking job I've ever done; those buds are so incredibly delicate. Every bud you accidentally knock off means one less shoot and bunch of bunches. read: less income, that still keeps haunting you .

Dilemmas

As a winemaker or grape grower, you want healthy grapes and an active soil life. But should we till the soil this weekend, or would it be better to wait another week? Plowing the topsoil essentially wakes up the soil. It's like saying, "Hey, spring has sprung, let those plants get active!" But with night frost in the forecast, this might not be the wisest option. what to do, what to do…

Another example: in organic viticulture, chemical spraying is prohibited. Fungi and viruses are perhaps the most notorious enemies. They spread and thrive in vineyards with high humidity and little air circulation between the leaves. Managing the canopy is therefore crucial. Too much foliage creates a pleasantly humid environment, but too few leaves can lead to insufficient photosynthesis or insufficient shade, ultimately resulting in sunburned grapes. What are you going to do? Every action will produce results, but will they be the desired ones?

No pressure

While we open our WhatsApp a million times a day, Florien and Jean-Baptiste are constantly checking the weather forecast. "April does what it wants" —that saying exists for a reason, of course. In 2017 and 2019, night and spring frosts destroyed almost the entire harvest. Fingers crossed that this year will be better. So no romance, just hard work and zero guarantees.

Update: You've probably noticed by now that 2021 was also hit by severe night and spring frosts. In the Jura, an average of around 80% was destroyed. All regular work will continue for the rest of the year to maintain good overall health in the vineyards. It's like being in a restaurant, where you have to serve guests all year long, knowing in advance that they won't pay. With a bit of luck, the second buds will still sprout, but that's not always the case.

Hard work

This was a two-week glimpse into the life of a winegrower. A mini-look. But it goes much further, because besides the work in the vineyard, there are countless other things to take care of. For example: bookkeeping, labeling bottles, folding countless boxes, stacking pallets for export orders, wrangling with the designer about the labels, organizing tastings for sommeliers, and answering the many questions from your intern in the meantime. And, of course, occasionally enjoying a bottle yourself with some winemaker friends.

I've developed deep respect for these people, and winemakers in general, of course. Les Bottes Rouges has captured a special place in my heart; Florien and Jean-Baptiste are my new heroes. Both of them, at some point, decided to change their lives and become winemakers. They might regret this decision from time to time. But I've never seen people work with such joy and such twinkling eyes.

I'm incredibly grateful to have gotten a glimpse into their lives. And who knows, maybe one day I'll even pack my bags and try my hand at winemaking. Who knows!