Wessman celebrates harvest at his French vineyard

Robert Wessman hosted a harvest celebration at his vineyard in Bergerac, south-west France, where guests were told this year’s vintage could be exceptional, mbl.is reported.

Friends, family and business partners attended the event earlier this month, which included an outdoor concert featuring Jökull Júlíusson of Kaleo. Guests also sampled wines from the winery, which operates three vineyards in France and has expanded rapidly in recent years.

Chef Þráinn Freyr Vigfússon was invited to cook at the vineyard’s restaurant, which is run in partnership with French Michelin chef Thierry Marx. The restaurant recently received a Bib Gourmand award from Michelin. Vigfússon served a menu that included dishes from his restaurant Óx.

Guests came from Iceland, Germany, South Korea and other countries with ties to the winery. The event was organised by Georg Leite, a former restaurateur at Kaldi bar who now works as sales manager for Maison Wessman.

Wessman introduced his friend Jökull, who has been involved in developing and producing the wines. He also announced that vineyard director Lise Sadirac had recently accepted the Bergerac and Duras region’s winemaker of the year award on behalf of the winery, for its 2024 Tour des Verdots Bergerac white wine. Sadirac has led Wessman’s vineyards for five years. The winery received the same award in 2017.

Wessman described this year’s vintage as exceptional. Andreas Larsson, a prominent sommelier who serves as an ambassador for the winery, said the year’s weather, including a heatwave and wildfires, had influenced the harvest. He said hot, dry conditions were also common in years that produced excellent vintages, but warned that this year’s harvest would be small.

Sadირac said the white grape harvest began on August 19, earlier than the usual September start. The final day of the red grape harvest was September 29, nearly a month earlier than in many years. “The harvest this year was small, but this is an exceptional vintage. I advise you to order in advance,” she said.