A wine labelled with silk

n the northern Var area, the Saint-André co-operative winery in Seillons-Source-d’Argens boasts a distinctive cool, high-altitude location in comparison with other parts of Provence. With the Sainte-Baume mountains and Cuers ridge separating the area from the hot coastline, the 380 hectares of vines belonging to the winery’s 40 members produce wines that combine finesse and freshness.

“A close family friend re-launched silk worm production in the Cevennes mountains, and the upper Var is a long-standing region for farming silk worms, hence the idea of releasing a wine revolving around natural silk”, explains Alban Lacroux, cellar master at the Saint-André winery. Natural silk is both soft and resistant but it could not be associated with any wine. “We worked with blocks of Syrah and Grenache that are over 30 years old and face North so that they would provide a consummate rendition of our cool vineyard sites”, continues Lacroux.

The result is 1,000 bottles of virtually hand-crafted, single-vineyard wines sporting a silk label produced by Sericyne based near Alès which “is pioneering the reintroduction of sericulture and revitalisation of the industry”, states a press release. Sericyne is now the leading producer of silk and of a number of items – particularly in 3D – using natural, non-woven silk, including the labels for the aptly-named ‘Soie’ by the Saint-André co-operative.