Château Fleur Cardinale showcases harvesting and winemaking using virtual reality

or lovers of virtual reality, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé Château Fleur Cardinale launched its ‘Plus proches que jamais’ (or closer than ever) video on YouTube on Wednesday 17 May heralding an immersive experience at the estate. The 360° video format offers a deep dive into the grape harvest and winemaking process.

Visitors at the estate can don a virtual reality headset and relive the highlights of production of the 2022 vintage. They will get close up and personal with teams in the vineyards, during harvest season, in the winery, the barrel cellar and the experimental winery.

For those across the globe, the experience is available online, with or without a headset, by accessing the chateau’s website. “Our aim was to address two shortcomings – firstly, when you visit a winery, it is difficult to really understand all the subtleties of our profession. Secondly, you can travel with our bottles abroad, but you cannot take the place that recounts our authenticity and our expertise with you”, explains Caroline Decoster, at the helm of Château Fleur Cardinale, alongside Ludovic Decoster.

French company WineVision designed the virtual reality equipment which cost €10,000 to develop. WineVision came to the estate in April 2022, then during the harvest to film every aspect of work by the winegrower. “The concept places the public at the core of the action – they become a participant and so they can feel the commitment of the team and precision of the techniques used, as if they were actually doing the work too. It is more meaningful than any words can explain. With the wine industry experiencing a challenging economic situation, it is essential to explain and share what we are. The survival of our profession depends on it”, she adds.

With the virtual reality headset, the tour of the chateau lasts an hour and a half and includes a tasting of two wines for an admission fee of €69 per person. Online, the experience costs €5.