Nicolas David had plans to take over the family wine property, but he did not think he would become its boss so quickly. In 2022, following the death of his father, he stopped his BTS to take care of the vineyard located in Escoussans, in Gironde. He was barely 19 years old.
A year after the first demonstrations, the anger has not subsided in the agricultural world. This Thursday morning, in Beychac-et-Caillau, around thirty winegrowers gathered in front of the headquarters of the AOC Bordeaux/Bordeaux Supérieur union to denounce the lack of support from the government.
In this gloomy context of falling sales and plans to uproot thousands of hectares of vines in Bordeaux, there are also young people who continue to venture into viticulture. This is the case in Escoussans in Entre-deux-Mers. Nicolas David, 21 years old today, took over the family farm following the death of his father in 2022. Overnight, he became the boss of a 17-hectare estate, Château Grand Laubès. “When my dad died, I had to decide quickly. Either I continued my studies or I went straight to the vineyard. If you leave the vineyard without pruning and maintenance for a year, it's ruined.”, he explains.
Resume winemaking within three years
Nicholas is the fifth generation of winegrowers in the David family. Today, he can count on the support of his aunt. It is she who ensures all the management and accounting part of the operation. He also sold half of the estate's vines and for the first five years, he preferred to send his harvest to the Sauveterre cellar rather than vinify his own production. But within 3 years, he hopes to reuse the farm's cellar and resume direct sales.
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When it comes to finances, the young winemaker is barely getting by. This year, we will still have to buy a tractor. Nicolas is not sure he will be able to earn a salary, but he will continue to plow his furrow among the vines.
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