Laëtitia Allemand, Domaine Allemand: journalist, winemaker and "wine diversity" militant

Although this career change seems surprising, the journalist has always has a passion for wine. "My parents are winemakers, and so were my grandparents. I was born on the estate and grew up there. My bedroom was next to the cellars and I often heard the noise of the wine press. The vats were my playground when my friends came to play at the house", remembers Laëtitia. From TV platforms to vineyards   Although her thirst for meeting people and desire "to discover the world" pushed Laëtitia to leave her home region at 18 years old to become a journalist, fate brought her back to the family estate 20 years later. "My parents announced that they planned to sell the estate. As I am an only child, I was the only one to take it over. I had never really thought about that before, but I had a kind of awakening. I could not imagine never going back there. This also coincided with the end of the programme that I was working for at the time. So this was my chance to go for pastures new. I asked my parent to let me work alongside them the time necessary to learn everything I needed to know about this occupation", said Laëtitia.   No sooner said than done. In 2014, Laëtitia enrolled in a Master's specialising in International Trade in Wines and Spirits at the ESC in Dijon. Her course was part time, so her schedule allowed her to go to the estate on a regular basis and put her knowledge into practice. However, she did not give up her journalist career. "These are two occupations with very different rythms, so they are compatible. In addition, they bring together two values that I believe are fundamental: meeting people and sharing."     "A family estate producing local wines"   Founded in 1954 by Laëtitia's grandfather, Domaine Allemand now covers a vineyard with 11 hectares of vines in the municipality of Théüs. "I am the third generation of winemakers in the Allemand family", states Laëtitia. Domaine Allemand produces approximately 50,000 bottles of wine every year and has the protected geographical indication of Hautes-Alpes. "My father wants the estate to remain a family estate, with human-size production and elegant, honest and structured local wines". Domaine Allemand offers wines from the blending of international and local grape varieties, 100% local single grape varieties, sweet and very sweet white wine and sparkling wines. "This combination allows us to reach a fairly extensive customer base and avoid putting all our eggs in one basket", stresses Laëtitia. Read the full article