28 Jul The trend-setting Gérard Bertrand, ‘King of Languedoc’

On July 14th, for Bastille Day, Gérard Bertrand hosted a free fundraiser on Facebook Live to benefit World Central Kitchen. In addition to raising money during this event, Bertrand donated $50,000 to World Central Kitchen. In addition to helping raise money, Gérard Bertrand is a trend setter, not a follower, as I wrote about in the Napa Valley Register and share here. The wine industry, like any consumer product, is subject to trends. In the world of wine, trends serve as an indicator of what people are drinking, from regions to varieties and from production methods and styles. Figuring out the next trend is not always easy to foresee but that is not an issue for Gérard Bertrand. He is not one who looks to follow trends but rather sets the trends. I first met Bertrand four years ago while visiting the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region. Known locally as the King of the Languedoc, Bertrand has 16 wine estates in the region. His philosophy is to be in harmony with nature and he believes in l’art de vivre (the art of living), which links wine, gastronomy, culture and art. These are at the heart of the company’s DNA. Bertrand started working with his father in 1975 when he was 10 years old. He is now in his 40th harvest and his enthusiasm has not ceased. He credits his father for giving him a love of the south of France and also for teaching him the art of blending. Today, he enjoys spending time blending as it provides an opportunity to make a masterpiece. “When you make blends, you feel alive.” With more than 60 different grape varieties in the south of France, the largest wine-producing area in the world, Bertrand sees the region as a playground that enables him to constantly think outside of the box. As a winemaker, Bertrand developed an interest in biodynamics. He first discovered homeopathic medicine when he was 22 and began to understand the benefits of natural resources. After reading Rudolf Steiner, Bertrand saw a connection between the principles of biodynamics and homeopathy. He began by converting four acres to biodynamics and saw a difference after three years. He has since converted all 2,000 acres to biodynamic farming and is the leader in the world for organic and biodynamic production. Last year, I wrote about his estate, Clos du Temple, located in Cabrières, the birthplace of rosé. From this 20-acre property, Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Viognier are blended to make a single rosé. While most rosés are meant to be drunk within a couple years of release, Clos du Temple is a wine that is meant to be aged, just one of many out-of-the-box concepts by Bertrand. While Clos du Temple is a wine for collectors, his Côte des Roses is at the other extreme. The Languedoc appellation stretches along the Mediterranean coast from the Spanish border as far as the city of Nîmes, along the foothills of the Montagne Noire and the Cévennes. Offering quality wines of value, Côte des Roses celebrates the Mediterranean lifestyle. What makes this wine unique is the original bottle whose base is in the shape of a rose. Giving a bottle of wine as a gift is like giving someone a rose. What is also distinctive about the Côte des Roses bottle is that the closures are glass, not cork. Côte des Roses 2019 Rosé, Languedoc A blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, the wine is a soft, pale pink color. The wine is fresh with notes of summer fruits, red currant, grapefruit and roses. Côte des Roses has now extended the line with additional grape varieties. Now, instead a giving a single rose, you can give someone a bunch of roses.