Languedoc-Roussillon, France: Cave Anne de Joyeuse

Cave Anne de Joyeuse is a high quality cooperative winery in Limoux, which was founded in 1929 and which currently boasts 650 members. It is directed today by Guy Andrieu. Anne de Joyeuse is one of only ten wine cooperatives in France to carry the highest level of quality accreditation. All the individual growers (all of them sustainable) who supply Anne de Joyeuse have to adhere to rigorous procedures, laid out and monitored by the co-operative’s oenologists. They use GPS to track where the grapes and the growers are, and throughout the whole year constantly visit them to ensure that quality is achieved. If an additive is needed in the vineyard it is supplied by the winery in a specific quantity and the grower is instructed when and how to use it. Ripeness in all of the vineyards they control are monitored by thermal imaging satellites. The cave produces 85% reds, 10% whites and 5% rosés. Since 1994 they have been recognized by the label “Protect The Planet” for work methods which are compatible with sustainable agriculture and the promotion of biodiversity. The wines are vegan -when fined, it is with bentonite.