Part of Olivier Dauga’s New World way of thinking is fairly simple really – to start listening to what the customer wants.
Olivier Dauga is a man that’s worth meeting.
A towering figure of near-as-damn-it 6 and a half foot, this former rugby playing consultant winemaker has got the knowledge, the chat, and the clothes to keep you entertained for a long time.
Olivier Dauga holding court in Primrose Hill, London, July 2018
Dressed resplendently in a bright pink shirt, that turned heads in the usually very understated Primrose Hill, it was an absolute pleasure to host him and his wife to my restaurant up in NW1 for a night to talk to the great and the good of wine bloggers and press about his Green Charter. More about that soon though. The Green Charter and the pink shirt.
When we were setting up this night, I was promised that this would be a winemaker meet-up I’d never forget. I’d never met the bloke before. What did everyone else know about Olivier Dauga that I didn’t?
Dauga in 2017, the last time The Buyer caught up with him
A Libournais by birth, Dauga’s studies (and semi-pro rugby career) took him around Bordeaux before work in Australia began to shape his ‘New World’ thinking. Nicknamed Le Faiseur de Vin, Dauga is a flying winemaker best known for his work in Domaines Rollan de By in the Medoc – including Chateau Haut Condissas AOC Medoc. However, his work with Kolonist, a new winery in Danubian Bessarabia, on Ukraine’s border with Moldova and Romania, is also getting international recognition.
It was in Australia, however, that he started developing the New World approach – most notably that it’s the consumers that drink what you make, so maybe it’s worth listening to what they want.
The Green Charter
That is what led to his Green Charter. Dauga is keen to help promote the change to organics and biodynamics, not from a hippy dippy point of view, but from wanting his kids and their kids to be able to still be doing this in generations to come. He’s seen the low fertility and lack of microbial activity in natural soils around the world and he’s also seen the reduction in biodiversity in the landscape as producers plant a narrow band of grape varieties in a monoculture fashion.
Practically speaking, organics and biodynamics are not always an option for everyone. The vineyard owners that pay his bills aren’t always convinced the commercial payoff is there, but at the very least he can limit the use of pesticides, and promote the use of flora and fauna as part of the winemaking process:
“Not all winemakers can or should necessarily become organic, but every producer must work towards complete sustainability if our planet is to continue to produce wine in all its wonderful and varied ways for future generations. I am totally committed to this and am actively encouraging all the wine producers I work with to develop sustainable ways of growing grapes and making wine, as well as marketing and distributing it.”
As high end Vin De Pays begins to get more accepted so site selection over ‘chasing the appellation’ becomes more important
Site selection is crucial
Another New World mindset is specifically on site selection. It’s paramount to everything he does, looking for the underused or even dormant sites, and bringing in a sustainable approach from the ground up. Pre-planting climate, environmental, and soil studies are the norm in the New World, whilst Europeans have often been guilty of worrying about which appellation they can squeeze their new sites into. As Dauga states, with the rise in France of an increasing acceptance of high end Vin De Pays, there’s no need to chase this anymore. It’s important to do it right from the start.
Business brain
At the heart of all this is a keen businessman. One of the promises of his consultancy is to hold the owners’ hands all the way through the marketing and distribution of the wines too. He’s confident in the Green Charter, and it’s what the market is increasingly wanting to see.
Dauga’s influence is on an increasing number of estates worldwide
France itself now boasts 31,000 organic producers which is an impressive and growing 7.2% of the country’s producers. Those wine estate owners that need a bit of convincing can look at the more than €700m of organic wine bought in France in 2016, with drinkers under the age of 30 drinking 14% of that.
It’s also about owning the debate in a world of health shocks and scares. Let’s bring wine back to the positives in combatting cardiovascular disease and other age-related issues. The negatives of too much sulphur use, or ecological worries over commercial winemaking can and should be turned on their head.
They’re buying in
Whatever it is that he’s saying, it’s clear that people are listening. With clients from his native Bordeaux, to one of France’s organic heartlands of Roussillon, all the way to Ukraine, Australia, Morrocco, and Spain.
Don’t be fooled by the clothes and the eccentric mannerisms. This guy is a tub-thumping, eco friendly, winemaking consultant from France, with a bucket load of personality and a business brain to match.
Looking forward to seeing you again soon, bud.
Cheers
For more information or to contact Olivier directly, please visit www.olivierdauga.com
