PSG boxes, tables of stars and heads of state… the incredible success of this de-alcoholized Bordeaux vintage

Le Figaro Bordeaux

The first classified growth of St. Emilion, structured with the experience of Château Angelus and balanced in the light of the first wines of Montagne St. Emilion, the Prince Oscar vintage is almost everything a great Bordeaux wine is… except that d. – Alcoholic. A surprising venture, which began in 2019 when the Qatari owners of PSG proposed Clos de Boüard to produce alcohol-free wine. At stake: an order of 35,000 bottles.

“I was very surprised, but only after the Kovid-19 crisis (Which puts a strain on wine sales, editor’s note)I felt stupid not to think about it», Coralie de Bouard confides. The vineyard owner then agrees to take on the challenge on one condition: having the time necessary to develop a quality product. The daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of the winegrowers who have owned Château Angelus for eight generations, the heir “Didn’t know how to advertise it at home» And that fear too »defame his name», celebrated among Girondin winegrowers.

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Two years of research

In 2021, after two years of research and testing on bulk wine, Coralie de Board found a solution: de-alcoholizing her first wine. The same alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, the same aging in Burgundian cooperage barrels for 16 months, the Cuvée des Princes differs from its alcoholic elder only at the end of production. While the latter is bottled at the château, the wine intended for Cuvée des Princes is alcoholized and rebalanced in Germany.

“We had to find a solution to capture the aroma of the wine before removing the alcohol, which is a flavor enhancer. Then rebroadcast them», explains Coralie de Boüard. As with truffled eggshells, it is soaked in food resin, then distilled in a deal alcoholized bottle under vacuum with cold distillation between 32 and 34 degrees. All sprinkled with a touch of concentrated grape juice produced on the property. A formula that has already proven its success. In addition to PSG, the volume of 10,000 bottles produced in 2021, 25,000 bottles in 2022 and 50,000 bottles in 2023 has been established. They fill the tables of starred restaurants around the world and heads of state, from Thailand to Japan. Passes through Central African countries.

Drink differently?

“I was sure it would be a one shot (single shot, editor’s note). But this vintage pleases because it goes off the beaten track: it’s a real wine! If it is offered to you blindly, you will see what it lacks, while finding it good», analyzes Coralie de Board. The promise of alcohol-free appeals a lot.”Halal butchers based on religious criteria” or “A new generation that consumes differently“Pregnant and lactating women, diabetics, event planners who want to control the start or end of an evening by reducing alcohol levels…

The Prince Oscar vintage, named as a tribute to the winegrower’s youngest son – on an evening when he was wiser than his elder, Gaspard – is also an opportunity to increase road safety. “My husband passed away two years ago. My sons have only one mother left. When I have to drink and hit the road, I just drink deal alcoholized wine», Coralie de Bouard confides. The variety of uses that Le Clos de Bord did not measure when he began this diversification of his production, today attracts the entire clan.