• This group created in 2001  by Nicolas JOLY  now has 175 winegrowers from 13 different countries.

  • It’s purpose is to guaranty the full expression of the appellations and a wine with a high quality level with a great originality.

To obtain this we act at 3 levels :

1 A legal guaranty of good agriculture, this means an organic and or biodynamic certificate on the whole vineyard and since at least 3 years. The presented wine comes from a living soil, not treated with chemicals.

The consumer has the guaranty that the winegrower has taken a legal engagement.Over  90% of the group practices biodynamic agriculture.

2 A guaranty that in the cellar no actions would change the full expression of the AOC’s taste. When agriculture is right the cellar is a maternity and not a factory.

Banned are of course all 300 aromatic yeast, osmoses, GMO, mechanical harvest (see quality charter).

The winegrower signs a record of his cellar actions for the last 3 years.

3 A tasting is made by a tasting committee made of well-known winegrowers :

  • Alsace: Olivier Humbrecht,
  • Bourgogne: Anne Claude Leflaive and Pierre Morey,
  • Champagne: David Leclapart,
  • Rhone: Philippe de Blicquy,
  • South: Raimond de Villeneuve and Jean François Deu,
  • Loire: Nicolas Joly,
  • Bordeaux: Jean Luc Hubert.

The unanimous consent of the committee is needed to join the group. In some cases we allow a winegrower whose application is in good order but who was refused at the tasting to take part in a tasting of the group to help him commercially.

Only the winegrowers who have had a minimum of 3 years of organic or biodynamic farming on the globality of their vineyard, can present their wines to the tasting comitee of our group “ Return to Terroir” .The logos Qualité France , Demeter , Ecocert, biodivin , Nature et Progres , bring this garanty .

Such a control have  become a necessity to give  to the consumer the legal guaranty of a sane wine ,where the appellation  is fully expressed .In some countries ,too many people use the words organic or biodynamic  without carefully applying the rules they  imply.

Three to four  tasting are organised every year all over the world by Virginie and Nicolas JOLY out of sympathy for the group (the costs are shared by all participants) with a great success. You can find some more information on the EVENT page of this website.