From the Clos Montmartre to plantings in Avignon’s Palais des Papes, vines are gradually returning to towns and cities. Though small, the vineyards symbolise living heritage and a sense of community and ecology, giving new-found meaning and visibility to urban viticulture.
Contents:
- Montmartre, full of symbolism
- An open-air laboratory
- Avignon and its heritage vines
- A movement gaining traction
- A cultural and ecological revival
Montmartre, full of symbolism
From 8 to 12 October, amidst tastings and folk groups, Paris celebrated the harvest at the Clos Montmartre, an event that now attracts an astounding 500,000 visitors. “The first event, in 1934, was immediately hugely popular due to its prestigious patrons, the entertainers Mistinguett and Fernandel. At the time, it was more a celebration of grapes because winemaking only began in 1953”, stresses Éric Sureau, chairman of the Fete and Social Schemes Committee in Paris’ 18th arrondissement, which manages the Clos. “The vineyard is a symbol of sharing. The 2,400 bottles produced annually are sold and the proceeds are donated to welfare charities, perpetuating the rebellious but inclusive spirit of Montmartre”
An open-air laboratory
Behind the picture-postcard city scape are 1,800 vines perched 130 metres high, which require painstaking management. “They face north, are surrounded by buildings and are planted on light, gypsum soils – the conditions are far from ideal. To comply with city policies, the primary challenge is to outlaw the use of plant protection products, which are particularly visible and controversial in an urban environment”, explains Sylviane Leplâtre, the Clos’ winemaker. The vines are also very prone to disease and over the past decade have gradually been replaced by resistant varieties: the number of visitors to the vineyard make it impossible to grub up the vines in one fell swoop. Calice, Divico, Muscat bleu, Cabernet Jura, Pinotin and Monarch have been imported from Switzerland and other countries. “The quality of their flavours is far superior to the post-phylloxera direct producer vines, one row of which has been preserved as a memorial to the past. In sunny years, ripeness reaches 12% ABV, producing a fruity red and highly prized rosé”.
Avignon and its heritage vines
Another example of urban viticulture can be found at the storied Palais des Papes in Avignon, which is France’s only appellation-designated vineyard located within city walls and also the only one situated in a Unesco-listed world heritage site. “Planted in 1997 to produce its first wine in 2000, the year Avignon became European Capital of Culture, the vineyard is home to 544 vines and a dozen Côtes‑du‑Rhône grape varieties. It is a ‘real’ vineyard that is farmed sustainably. The aim is to secure HVE certification”, explains David Bérard, chairman of the Compagnons des Côtes-du-Rhône, which maintains the vineyard along with the Orange viticulture college and the town’s park services. “Both are very involved. They test, for example, different types of mulch. Farming vines in town is like working with a tiny vineyard block”. Every year, a winegrower belonging to the Compagnons produces the boutique wine which is subsequently gifted to charity. “We now want each one of these urban vines to be sponsored by people from around the world”, says Bérard. The mission is of paramount importance to local winegrowers because the vines – which are also planted in other parts of Avignon – confirm the town’s identity as the capital of the Côtes-du-Rhône.
A movement gaining traction
These French initiatives hide a broader movement. “Montmartre’s success inspired Luca Balbiano, the owner of a vineyard in Turin, to found the Urban Vineyards Association in 2019”, explains Éric Sureau, the organisation’s vice-chairman. “Around fifty historic urban vineyards in twenty countries now belong to the UVA, which helps restore them, raise cultural awareness of them and promote them to tourists. In France, too, the trend is gaining momentum. “With Montmartre and Lyon, we founded France’s Urban Vine Society which will bring together French towns and cities so that good practices can be shared and new plantings encouraged”, points out Bérard. The foundation agreement of the association – which already boasts twenty-five members – will become official on 19 November, during the French mayors’ congress in Paris. Construction group NGE is providing financial support and has also created a Landscape division to include vines in projects it puts forward to local authorities.
A cultural and ecological revival
Ultimately, what could be more natural than planting vines in urban settings? In the Middle Ages, virtually every town had vines, often near abbeys as in Montmartre. Urban sprawl led to their disappearance in the 19th century and their revival today has been prompted by a number of incentives. “For local authorities, urban vines are primarily seen as a calling card and a teaching resource for history and biology, for instance. They are also a conduit for social interactions”, feels Leplâtre. “On top of the cultural aspect, vines are also a testament to food production within towns themselves, they safeguard historic grape varieties, provide a garden area and haven for biodiversity, and also represent a tool for ecological resilience, acting as a carbon sink and limiting artificialisation of soils”, adds Bérard. From Paris to Avignon, the wine industry is not looking nostalgically in the rear-view mirror – by weaving a green thread between the past and the future, it is perhaps defining the contours of tomorrow’s towns and cities.
Florence Jaroniak, ©: Compagnons des Côtes-du-Rhône.
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