Go and discover 5 unusual vineyards

Les Grappes invites you to take a little tour of the most unusual vineyards in the world, where you sometimes wonder what winegrowers are thinking about.

#1 Montmartre vineyard

Well, this one is a classic, but we still had to put it in our TOP 10: the vineyard of Montmartre, also called the Clos Montmartre. It has been there for more than a millennium and already watered the populasse and the little people in 944. They have a lot of humor since they invented the proverb: "It's Montmartre wine. The pint is equivalent to 93 centilitres and a quart to 67 litres... this gives an idea of the quality of the wine. The vineyard is still producing wine and its vines are celebrated in October every year.

#2 The Pacific Vineyard

Off the pacific coast, they make wine too. The island of Tahiti launched the "wine of Tahiti" project in 2002. When you think about it, all the conditions are there to make the vine feel at home: sunshine, a rather favourable climate, a terroir adapted to wine-growing, fine sandy beaches and coconut palms! The only worry is in case of tidal wave. There, there may be a problem.

#3 The vineyards of Cappadocia

We now proceed to Cappadocia in Turkey. The region known for its troglodyte houses and thousand-year-old sculptures is also home to another treasure that takes us back to distant times. In the middle of these sci-fi landscapes perched at an altitude of up to 1500 metres, vines have been cultivated for 4500 years in Anatolia. The minerals present in the soil, the strong sunshine of the region as well as the caves dug in the stone constitute an ideal environment to raise wines whose quality improves from year to year.

#4 The Lanzarote Vineyards

This lunar landscape is indeed on the blue planet! We are in Lanzarote on a small Spanish island off the coast of Morocco. Between desert landscapes and idyllic beaches, the culture, whatever it is, is a real challenge. The volcanic eruptions of the Timanfaya volcano in 1730 largely contributed to the climate on the island. It is covered on a large part by the ashes left during the last cataclysm letting the wind blow as it pleases on the whole island. But the winegrower has more than one trick up his sleeve! The vines have been planted in holes, up to 3 metres deep, 5 metres apart, surrounded by low walls for places where the winds are particularly hostile.

#5 The vineyards of the corniche d'Urrugne.

Our 5th extreme winemaker is Emmanuel Poirmeur and he sells his wine on Les Grappes! He made the crazy bet in 2007 to plant his vines on the cornice of Urrugne, not far from Hendaye. In 2009 the project became a reality. The Chardonnay vines perched on this small piece of Basque country enjoy constant winds that often reach 110 km/h, thus preventing diseases and improving the cultivation of the vines. As Emmanuel likes to remind: "Here, it is a viticulture of combat". The culture of this grape variety, rather worked in Champagne or in Burgundy, is however in total adequacy with the climatic conditions which animate the places.

Bonus: The Ribeira Sacra Vineyard

Olé! We're going back to Spain, to Galicia to be more precise. Decidedly they have the gift to complicate the task. In the Ribeira Sacra appellation, mountain climbing is practiced with vines perched since Roman times on slopes that make you dizzy. The logic: the higher the terrace on which the vines are planted, the more they will benefit from the sunshine and the cold air currents allowing a better concentration of sugar in the bay.

Thibault, contributor Les Grappes

Photo Credits :

- Vignes Montmartre, www.voyage-webguides.com
- Vignes Tahiti, Tahiti Wine
- Vignes Cappadoce, https://www.huwans-clubaventure.fr
- Vines Lanzarote, onekite.forum.free.fr