[VIDEO] VIDEO. He took 1,200 bottles out of the river: the second submerged vintage of Château de Longpré is (almost) sold out

To carry out the operation, a crane truck must be maneuvered to the banks of the Ariège. In a corner of the river that he wishes to keep secret – “to avoid arousing the desires of people with ill intentions” – Alexandre Dufour, director of the Longpré estate in Varilhes, has slipped several hundred bare bottles. “The location we chose is perfect. Here, they are protected from UV rays because they are never in the sun. The water swirls encourage perpetual movement of the wine. Finally, the fresh water all year round allows “avoid temperature variations”, explains the professional.

“Doing tests fascinates me”

Once the truck is positioned, Alexandre Dufour and his colleague set about hanging the crane chains to a scrap metal bin which contains around 600 bottles. The operation is delicate because the whole thing weighs nearly 750 kg: “We can’t afford to do anything. We have nearly €12,000 worth of wine at the end of the line.” Cleverly, the mechanism is put into action and, quickly, the cage is extracted and the freshwater animals escape.

“These remained for 18 months at the bottom of Ariège. An experienced and validated period. The wine is more supple, rounded and harmonious. 95% of people prefer the submerged cuvée to the more classically fermented one.” Moreover, of the 1,200 bottles collected this year, 1,080 have already found buyers before they were even put on sale: “We see that it works, that customers are fond of this type of wine so we continue and we are even considering to double in volume.” The winegrower plans to put 8 paloxes in the water soon to ensure more continuous production.

To refine his exceptional product, the Ariégeois ordered, for this second vintage, wooden labels: “We already wax these bottles which come out imprinted with sand and silt from the river, but I wanted to go even further to , on arrival, having a unique product on the market and 100% natural. Sold between €19.50 and €23.50 per unit, they are distinguished from the original vintages and, in view of all the work involved , their price – high, I grant you, for Ariégeois wine – is far from being theft.”

Always in search of experimentation, the Ariégeois also took out of the water, that day, around ten bottles that had remained in the water for 30 months: “We are going to taste them and see if it is worth it to make the idea a reality and, why not, to market them. Doing tests fascinates me with always the guiding idea of ​​doing even better!”