Arbois : The 2017 harvest of Pasteur’s vines at the Clos de Rosières

The morning of 30 August 2017 was a beautiful one, in the middle of a heatwave. This was the day when the historic vines of Louis Pasteur were harvested, in the presence of Ms Pascale Cossart, Secrétaire Perpétuel at the Académie des Sciences, which owns these vines. The event continued a tradition established by Henri Maire.

It was in these vines in 1878 that Louis Pasteur carried out his experiments into alcoholic fermentation, revealing its organic origins and in particular, the role of indigenous yeasts in triggering fermentation.

Henri Maire has operated the vineyards and made wine here for more than 70 years, and invited some local personalities who were keen to join in the event. The 2017 vintage from the Clos des Rosières is currently being aged at the Henri Maire cellars.

This highly-symbolic plot of vines is still dedicated to science, and is currently part of an ambitious research project into diseases affecting vines. Watch this space…