in the vineyards of Château Palmer, the strippers are young people from the cities

Lhe sun is beating down hard, Rayan once again teases Billel about the (supposed) superiority of the Atlas Lions over the Algerian Fennecs. In the rows of the vines of Château Palmer, the third grand cru classé of Margaux, a dozen young people living in the high-rise buildings in the heart of Bordeaux are thinning out the future bunches of grapes. For four years, one of the iconic estates of the Bordeaux vineyard has been collaborating with YounUs, the academy of the former professional basketball player Abdoulaye Ndiaye, working for the integration of young people from the Grand-Parc, an area where more than 8,000 residents live in a “priority neighborhood of the city policy” (PQV), i.e. in “difficult” conditions identified by the State.

A strange rapprochement between two universes that nothing predestined, a priori, to come together. “These are two opposing worlds that meet, that of the city and that of the countryside,” says Thomas Duroux, the director of the prestigious château, who grows his grapes biodynamically. “This project started from a double observation: we are having more and more difficulty recruiting in the vineyards and we aspire to better connect with our territory, we who are so close to the metropolis,” he continues. The property is not its first attempt. More than ten years ago, she tried the adventure with another integration organization before it got out of hand and ended.

Insertion project

With YounUs, the collaboration is more structured. The teams of young workers are accompanied by a member of the academy, a “big brother” paid like the others at minimum wage, responsible for disciplining the troops. Every morning, from the end of May to the end of June, a bus, chartered by the wine estate, came to pick up the volunteers with their green waists at the foot of the towers at 6 a.m. A short hour’s journey to a striking contrast: the oceans of Médoc vines and the splendid old stone buildings, including Palmer’s, which dates back to the 18th century.^e century.

On this Tuesday, June 25, Rayan, a senior at Beau Rochas high school, continues to tease Billel. For the second year, he has chosen to strip the vines of their useless leaves and branches. He is also one of the 50 young people to have a giant print of himself in the Grand-Parc district. The exhibition by the artist Henrike Stahl, launched by Château Palmer in association with the Leica brand and the City of Bordeaux, on display until September 22, has put the spotlight on the integration project. Until now, the Médoc estate had not wanted to communicate, fearing, perhaps, to be accused of “social washing” (when a company gives itself a misleading image of social responsibility, Editor’s note).

“We are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit in the vineyards and we aspire to better connect with our territory”

On this morning at the end of June, 34 leaf strippers and supervisors headed to the Margaux appellation. Among them, some gave up as the morning progressed. Too hot. “We told them that it would no longer be possible to come on other days,” regrets Sabrina Pernet, technical director of the estate. “It remains an integration project,” she explains a few moments later. We cannot display the same requirements as for normal seasonal workers. But accepting everything would not be doing them any favors either. We are also here to show them what working life is like. »

Bringing values ​​together

Farming sometimes comes up against a public that is not yet familiar with the life of an employee. Thomas Duroux admits to having taken “a few slaps”. Figuratively of course. But the director also confides small victories. “What’s pretty cool is to see that word of mouth works well,” he says. Some talk about it to their brothers and sisters or their cousins ​​who come to work with us. » He adds: “These young people have values ​​that are not the same as ours, but they have them. Our ambition is to make them converge, and that takes time. » There are also great stories, like that of Sofiane, who stayed in the field for a year and who finally decided to join the national police. “We were a little upset that he was leaving…” confesses Sabrina Pernet.

A student at Gustave-Eiffel, awaiting the results of his STMG baccalaureate, Reda does not yet know if he will return next year. In the meantime, he got up once again at 5 a.m. “It’s physical but it will pay for a great vacation,” he smiles. Two more short hours before getting back on the bus to go back to town. Then, “it will be KO sleep straight away,” admits the high school student. Not far away, Billel, 24, the supervisor in charge of watching over his group, assures him: “Before, motivation was rather limited to the neighborhood but it has grown.” The management of Château Palmer has not ruled out extending the system to the grape harvest.