Focus on Wine Calling

Wine Calling: A Documentary About New Winemakers in the South

Rebellious winemakers in organic and biodynamic farming

Bruno Sauvard takes us on a journey to discover these “cheerful rebels who have taken over our regions.”

Set to a rock and punk soundtrack, *Wine Calling: The Wine Rises* sets out to explore these “new-wave winemakers” in the south of France who produce wine using natural and biodynamic methods. As the director explains in an interview with the magazine Vin et Gastronomie, this film is primarily aimed at 20-somethings to raise their awareness and share how these “lazy” winemakers approach wine, the vineyard, and the terroir.

Laurence Manya Krie, known as Yoyo (Domaine Yoyo), Michael Georget (Domaine Le Temps Retrouvé), Loïc Roure (Domaine du Possible), Stéphane Morin (Domaine Léonine), Jean-François Nicq (Les Foulards Rouges), Jean-Sébastien Gioan (Domaine Potron Minet), and Sylvain Respaut and Olivier Cros (La Cave Apicole) tell us what motivated them to care for their land, their vines, and their wines. Whether for environmental reasons for some, health reasons for others, or simply for the sake of taste, they highlight the appeal and joy of producing natural, unadulterated wines.

Thanks to their philosophy, their zest for life, and their energy, we are immersed in a whole new dimension of winemaking—a freer, more rock-and-roll approach to working the vineyards! Collaboration, mutual support, ethics, and sharing are the key words that define this community of ambitious winemakers, driven by a quest for pleasure. A spirit perfectly summed up by Stéphane Morin (Domaine Léonine): “It’s pretty magical, really—we have the grapes, and a few months later we can get drunk on them!”

Watch the trailer for Bruno Sauvard’s *Wine Calling* (Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes), set for release on October 17, 2018.

Synopsis: For the past decade or so, the world of wine has been in a state of upheaval, shaken up by a counterculture much like punk rock once shook up the music industry. All across France, and particularly in Occitanie, a group of joyful rebels have taken over our vineyards to create the wine they love: natural and unpretentious. Much more than just organic wine, it is a wine of emotion and reaction, a wine governed by no label, a free wine. Wine Calling sets out to meet these new winemakers who are reinventing our relationship with life. These men and women are pioneers of a peasant agriculture in motion. Solidarity-driven, ethical, and festive—a new utopia is emerging from our hillsides. Let’s explore it!