Ryan and Joe O'Connell
France
American father-and-son duo living the winemaking dream in southern France
- This father and son team are showing the French how winemaking is done!
- They moved over from the States, bought a vineyard in rural France and set about making wines with bags of determination and drive! Going against the French experts' advice they had their own ideas on winemaking.
- Judging by all the fantastic reviews from hordes of Angels (and even from the likes of Jancis Robinson) their gamble has payed off and we're chuffed we've discovered them!
Vineyard Location
Ryan and Joe O'Connell's Story
Ryan and Joe O'Connell's Story
"When we upped sticks and left the States in 2004, we were just regular people who drank a lot of wine. We realised that it would be more cost effective for us to just make it ourselves!
A lot of people think that vineyards are a big investment, but we're saving tons of money when you think of all the overpriced garage wines we were buying in the States.
Working in the vines and winery is really rewarding. Much more rewarding than working in an office. You just go out, breathe fresh air, work with your vines, and drink a bunch of delicious red wine.
Tasting the fruit of your labour with friends, family, visiting strangers etc is far more fun than ever imagined.
What are our five key philosophies?
- Wine is made in the field before it ever gets to the winery
- If somebody says that making wine is easy, you probably don't want to drink their wine
- Fining, filtering, forcing (and other things that start with F) are for people who are in a rush to bottle. For real wine, you've got to be patient
- Sulfites suck!
- Gravity is awesome. Use it. Pumps are for septic tanks. Avoid them
We're also quite a Green pair. We live in the middle of the vines and see them on a daily basis, monitoring the weather and their development. We only treat when necessary and we opt to use synthetic products when they are more effective and ecologically sound. We find a beautiful balance between the green of the vines, the reddish-brown earth and the blue sky i.e. we're not just certified rule-followers who fit some bureaucrat's definition of organic!
A lasting thought for you...
The guy who works harder, laughs harder and drinks harder... he's got good wine.
Enjoy the wines, and come and visit us if you're ever nearby (11620 Villemoustaussou), we'd love to meet you!"
