Alexandre Giquel: Organic Vouvray Wines from Horse-Powered Vineyards

The story

For Alexandre Giquel, the path to wine was anything but linear. Originally on track for a career in accounting, he discovered that life among ledgers paled in comparison to life among vines. What began as part-time bookkeeping for a winery quickly turned into a calling, one that led him to rethink viticulture from the ground up.

Realising that his formal studies barely touched on organic or low-impact farming, Alexandre set out on his own to learn the methods he believed the land deserved. That journey led him to animal-powered vineyard work, an approach nearly forgotten in the Loire but now revived by a small circle of growers. He immersed himself in horse management, eventually acquiring his own draft mare and embracing a way of farming that is slow, precise, and deeply connected to the rhythms of the soil.

Alexandre released his first wines in 2017, initially through a small négoce project sourcing organic fruit from across the Loire. Over time, he pieced together parcels of his own, modest in size but rich in personality, allowing him to transition from aspiring winemaker to full-fledged grower with a vision rooted in respect for old vines and living soils.

The wines

Alexandre’s cuvées unfold from a simple principle: let the vineyard speak clearly, and intervene only when necessary. Working without chaptalisation and with careful attention to balance, he crafts wines that showcase Chenin’s purity and Gamay’s quiet charm.

Alongside his domaine wines, he continues to produce a limited selection of négoce bottlings, maintaining long-standing relationships with growers who share his commitment to organic farming.

Expect wines that favour tension over power, finesse over flourish, and authenticity over artifice. Bottles shaped more by old vines and patient farming than by cellar tricks.

In the vineyard

Alexandre farms just over 3 hectares, divided between Vouvray and Vernou-sur-Brenne. The estate is fully certified organic and biodynamic. A natural extension of his hands-on, horse-driven approach.

Most of his plots are old-vine Chenin Blanc, many over half a century old, planted on classic Vouvray soils of clay and flint. Small, carefully chosen parcels of Gamay add another layer to the domaine’s identity. These Gamay vines, planted in 1967 and drawn from diverse massal selections, hold particular importance: they offer balance, individuality, and a naturally harmonious fruit profile that suits Alexandre’s low-intervention philosophy.

Horse work plays a central role here, though never excessively. He uses the mare only a few times each year to avoid disturbing the earth. The rest of the time, the rows stay grassed, the soils remain uncompacted, and treatments are applied by hand with a backpack sprayer. There are no tractors, no mechanical hedging, and no shortcuts. Over the years, the vines have gradually found equilibrium, growing more calmly and in tune with the environment as the soils recover from past conventional farming.

Taste the place

Alexandre’s wines capture the essence of Vouvray’s cool climate and stony hillsides: bright acidity, layered texture, and a grounded sense of place. Whether Chenin or Gamay, each cuvée reflects a young vigneron carving out his identity through thoughtful farming, deep respect for heritage vines, and a philosophy centred around doing less, but doing it well.

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