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The Catalyst
All life-change stories need a catalyst. Ours was September 11 2001. We lived 500 metres from the World Trade Center. I saw both planes hit the building, lost several colleagues, lived like a refugee for 3 months, lost my job and thanked my lucky stars that I didn’t attend the meeting on the 110th floor that day.
When the dust had settled, it gave us a chance to refocus our lives to do something that inspires us. Both of us were very interested in wine and for me it had become a bit of an obsession. We decided to become vignerons.
Turning the dream into reality (rather than a nightmare) is not easy. It’s a big step from liking wine to actually making a good one. Rather than employ consultants and managers, I wanted to grow the grapes and make the wine myself. Only that way would I feel that the wine was my own.
The Apprenticeship
 Rachel is from New Zealand and I have a high regard for their wines so we moved there to get a good grounding. I took a postgraduate diploma at Lincoln University, where hard work and commitment helped me top the class. I was then offered a job as a winemaker at Neudorf Vineyards, one of the finest estates in the country. In my two years there I learn hands-on what it takes to make world-class wines.
We chose to come to France to run our own estate because we found New Zealand too remote and land prices too costly to start a vineyard that would not produce any grapes for three years.
The Languedoc-Roussillon is the most exciting wine region in France. Despite the well-publicised crisis, independent vignerons here have the opportunity to carve out a quality reputation through their own efforts and skill. Such opportunities don’t exist in Bordeaux or Burgundy where the status quo is too well established.
The Quest
 I toured the region for a month in order to find out as much as I could. I visited a lot of British and French winemakers. At the end of my research I decided that a small vineyard of 10ha was the ideal size. I found the wines of the Aspres hills of the Roussillon most promising for the kind of wine I wanted to make; Wines with the rich spiciness of the South but with a freshness and structure that gives them life and lifts them above the easy-drinking reputation.
Finding a property that suited our goals was not easy. We needed good soils, healthy vines, a sizeable and well-equipped winery and a location that suited the whole family - children and Grandma included. After 3 months of searching, we finally found a place that had the potential to fulfil our vision of creating a boutique, visitor-friendly domaine in the New World model. It was not a Chateau but it suited our requirements.
As with all agricultural property, we had to have the purchase approved by SAFER. This involved presenting a business plan, proving my qualifications and experience and allowing neighbouring vignerons the chance to buy the vineyards. Fortunately nobody but us wanted the property. I guess there are some advantages to “La Crise”.
The Transition
 We took over the vineyards last February and got stuck into the pruning, weeding, spraying and so on. This allowed us a complete run at the 2006 vintage using the techniques we preferred. I wanted to pick by hand and handle the grapes and wine more gently. This meant new pumps, hoses and equipment. I’d decided to do my own wine analysis rather than use a visiting oenologist like most wineries do, so I had to equip the “lab” too.
To make white wine, the winery needed major changes. In August most businesses are closed so I had no choice but to do many of the jobs myself. In the two weeks before harvest I extended the refrigeration system to four new tanks, replaced the brass fittings with stainless steel (to prevent the wines going hazy), put in a 3-phase junction box and constructed a new system to carry the grapes to the press.
The day before the first harvest we tested the new installation – it blew the main fuse on the electricity supply and I couldn’t get it to come on again. To EDF’s credit, they came and fixed it at 8.00am the next morning while we were loading up the first load of grapes for pressing! The harvest actually went much better than I had hoped. It was incredibly hard work and plenty of stress but there were no glitches and I’m very pleased with the way our first wines are turning out.
Despite the crisis, there is a growing interest in the more individual wines of the Roussillon among those who look for interesting, flavoursome wines at a reasonable price.
The Fulfilment
 Since January, in between building an apartment, pruning and bottling the wines, we have been busy finding a market for our wines. Starting from scratch is not easy. Because we don’t make enough wine to interest the supermarkets and chain outlets, we have to be more innovative about our marketing. We plan to sell about 80% of our production in the UK through independent merchants and the rest to private clients and a handful of local cavistes.
From the start, our aim was to offer a New World style winery experience for visitors. We have built a tasting room in the winery and had great feedback about our tours of the vineyards, candid talks on wine, congenial lunches. It is time-consuming but it keeps us in touch with the people who enjoy our wine. We’ve built up a loyal group of customers who buy wine direct from the winery or have it delivered to them in the UK.
It has been a long road from that fateful morning in Manhattan six years ago but finally we’re beginning to see the fulfilment of our dream.
For more information see our website www.domainetreloar.com or call us on +33 (0)468950229.
Domaine Treloar, 16 Traverse de Thuir, 66300 Trouillas
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