Producer Olivier Cousin

FRANCE, LOIRE

Olivier Cousin's winemaking history began in 1987 when he took over 12 hectares of vineyards from his grandfather located around the village of Martigné Briand, south of Angers. Its vineyards are grown in Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Chenin Blanc., And between the rows Olivier uses his horse "Joker" to plow the vineyards 2-3 times a year, and also encourages and teaches other producers of wine to do the same. Olivier constantly tests natural methods to improve the quality of his wines, such as carbonic maceration, and in 2005 he left the AOC, to have the opportunity to try new, strange and wonderful winemaking methods. Wines do not know the meaning of the terms enzymes, filtration or additional sulfur dioxide. Olivier is a man with a deep connection to the earth and does not even like to use a lot of electricity to control the temperature of the cellar. Instead he says that wines must move in sync with the world around them. Since 2012, his son Baptiste continues his work. Olivier, now retired, works only with Cabernet Franc, which has always been his favorite grape to be vinified