Brard Blanchard

The history of Brard Blanchard

The Brard Blanchard estate has a long history of working in viticulture, with the family being involved in the industry for almost four generations. Originally a mixed farm with both vineyards and a dairy operation at the start of the century, the farm has since focused exclusively on viticulture and commercialization. In 1976, the Brard Blanchard family made their first sale and have continued to grow and expand their business since then.

The philosophy of the Brard Blanchard estate is centered around organic agriculture, which is environmentally friendly and does not use synthetic chemicals, herbicides, or pesticides. The estate follows a set of guidelines certified by the organization Ecocert, which covers general principles for all productions as well as more specific requirements for winemaking.

The journey towards organic farming was not an easy one for the Brard Blanchard family. Founder Jacques Blanchard Brard began working in the vineyard with his parents at the age of 15, around the time when many producers started using chemical products. In 1972, Jacques experienced respiratory problems as a result of using these chemicals, which led him to consider returning to more natural farming methods. At the time, the company Lemaire Boucher was promoting this approach, and a conference inspired Jacques to adopt it on the Brard Blanchard estate.

However, the transition to organic farming was difficult and the family faced crop losses due to mildew, chlorosis, and other challenges. It took nearly five years for them to achieve a decent harvest, and even today, they are constantly working to improve their organic farming practices.

In addition to producing white and red wines, the Brard Blanchard estate has also developed other products such as grape juice, white Pineau, and Pineau Rosé. They were also among the first producers to launch Charentais wine in the 1980s.

Brard Blanchard's Organic Farm Today

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, they had at this point spent over 30 years of farming organically. Despite both failures and successes, they remain convinced that the way they work reflects the future of agriculture, as it requires respect for both earth and humans.