1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 287 Returning with a Full Load
Ronan didn't rush to drink, but asked with great interest:

"A new winemaker?"

Perhaps in a good mood after seeing a fellow villager, the man also poured himself a drink:
"Didn't you know? In recent years, many city dwellers have moved to Provence. Among them are doctors, bankers, and advertising professionals, but now they've all devoted themselves to the wine industry in Provence."

Ronan knew that many city dwellers came to live in Provence, which was how housing prices were driven up, but he didn't know they were flocking to the wine industry. Curious, he asked:
Why did they all devote themselves to the liquor industry?

The man took a small sip of his drink and said with a smile:
"Having made enough money in the city, and not planning to retire, I'm sure I'll want to plan new ventures and take on new challenges in Provence. Vineyards are an excellent investment option, and if I'm lucky enough, I can live in a beautiful old house. If I'm even luckier, I can make well-received wines and experience great satisfaction. Isn't that great?"

Ronan asked with a smile:
"So you came?"

The man laughed loudly and said:
"That's right, so I came here, and I brought my whole family with me. Although sometimes nature, this fickle working partner, can make me nervous and unable to sleep at night, overall, my life is healthy, relaxing, and very fulfilling. I don't know if other people regret moving here, but my family and I love our current lifestyle."

Zoe, the only native Provençal present, continued the discussion by offering her opinion:

"I agree with health and relaxation, but city life is more 'fulfilling,' isn't it?"

The man shrugged and said:
"If the backstabbing in the office, the endless meetings, cleaning up the messes of colleagues who are dumber than pigs, and dealing with nitpicking and domineering shareholders can be considered fulfilling, then that certainly is the case. Let me put it another way: the fulfillment here is much more enjoyable than the fulfillment in the city."

Ronan made a look of lingering fear, then asked in a concerned tone:
"But how's your business doing here?"

If your best wine can only sell 800 bottles a year, can that really make you feel happy?

The man said optimistically:

"It's very difficult to start a second life and get rich at the same time, especially since wine is a very mature industry in Provence. Small wineries have only a very small chance of standing out. It's impossible for the first or second generation. Making a little money every year is already a very good achievement. What you can earn here may not be money, but more importantly, a good life."

"Hurry up and try it," the man urged Ronan and Zoe. "My cherry wine is really good; it's the best-selling one in Gur Village."

Ronan and Zoe not only sampled the cherry liqueur, but also several other strong brandies available.

Because they were from the same hometown, Ronan and the boss quickly became acquainted, and the man took the initiative to invite Ronan to visit his small equipment factory.

On the way there, Zoe whispered to Ronan:

Is this also why you came to live in Provence?

She was referring to the 'fulfillment' of escaping the big city.

Ronan lowered his voice and whispered:
"Partly, yes, but I'm definitely more 'happy' than him."

Zoe raised an eyebrow:

"why?"

Ronan replied with a smile:
"Because I not only earned a good life, but also made money."

Zoe covered her mouth and laughed:
"So confident?"

Ronan quickened his pace:
"The fact that they can become the 'largest' brewing cooperative in Gur Village with such low production volume shows that the profits from the wine are quite considerable. I want to go and learn from them."

The equipment room of this family-run winemaking cooperative is located at the other end of the U-shaped room, opposite the wine cellar.

Inside, there was a fruit crusher, five large wooden fermentation tanks, a copper distillation apparatus, and a simple manual bottling system.

"The wineries in Gur village aren't very big; usually, five or six people can run them," the man explained to Ronan.

Ronan asked:
"Fruit brandy should also require plantations, right? How large is your orchard?"

During the wine tasting, this person gave Ronan a brief introduction to the distillation process.

After crushing the fruit, it is fermented for about 30 days. Then, it undergoes one or two distillations, at which point the alcohol content may reach over 65%.

After more than 6 months of bottling and storage, the alcohol concentration is reduced to about 45 degrees. Of course, each distillery has different habits, some are higher and some are lower, it all depends on what kind of taste the distiller wants to produce.

“A two-hectare orchard can produce 3000 bottles a year,” the man explained patiently.

“The yield of fruit brandy per hectare is much lower than that of wine,” Ronan calculated immediately.

If the grapes from his 8 mu (0.53 hectares) vineyard were converted into wine, they could be exchanged for more than a thousand bottles, and Molly would definitely have to set aside a portion of the profit.

“That’s right.” The man nodded. “I heard that a new winegrower started a red wine cooperative, and last year the yield per hectare exceeded 3500 bottles.”

Ronan wanted to know exactly this kind of inside information!
He continued to inquire:
"What about the profits? Are his profits substantial?"

Ronan asked about other people, and about wines that had nothing to do with brandy, to which the other person readily replied:

“The cost of planting varies from plot to plot, so I can’t say for sure. But the cost of handcrafting wine is 3-7 francs, which includes fermentation, bottling, and storage. Right now, the cheapest red wine on the market costs at least 80 or 90 francs, right? What do you think of the profit margin?”

"It can't be that expensive, can it?" Ronan was taken aback.

Ronan wouldn't dare say he knew all the wine brands in Provence, after all, it was too vast, and even though he owned a restaurant, he only knew the tip of the iceberg. However, he was very knowledgeable about the price range of the wines.

Even if you can't buy a bottle of red wine for 25 francs, there are plenty of wines for 40 francs in Luberon, so why would the cheapest one cost 80 or 90 francs?
The man smiled as he looked at Ronan:
“It seems you really don’t understand ‘new winegrowers’. It’s very difficult for us to penetrate the budget market. Wine merchants from big cities are all dealing with mid-to-high-end and premium lines.”

By the time he paid the bill, Ronan had gained a more comprehensive understanding of the 'new winegrowers'.

He could buy a liter of bulk pomace brandy for 30 francs on the roadside, but at this distillery, the cheapest 750ml bottle of brandy costs at least 100 francs.

“He made it the ‘biggest’ in Gur Village by relying on the highest average order value.” This was the first thing Zoe said to Ronan as she got into the car.

Zoe and Ronan were both well-off, and when they left, they had two cases of liquor in their trunk. The taste was indeed excellent, and Ronan had certainly learned something there, so consider it tuition.

"A successful haul!" Ronan started the car.

Zoe knew he wasn't referring to alcohol, and asked curiously:
Are you satisfied with your harvest?

Ronan's expression turned serious:

"I'm quite satisfied, but this industry is much more complicated than running a restaurant."

The wines are categorized into budget, mid-to-high-end, and premium lines.

According to Ronan's understanding, Stella also has many lines, but high-end wines basically have no sales.

Taking a people-friendly approach is definitely the mainstream direction, but how many bottles of rosé wine would you need to sell to make a profit if you were selling it for 20 yuan a bottle?
No wonder Jerome always says he's on the verge of bankruptcy!

The narrow customer base, lack of popularity, and low average order value are all legacy issues that Ronan will need to address one by one in the future.

Zoe thought for a moment and suggested:
"However, I think you had a very good takeaway today."

“A new winemaker?” Ronan asked.

Zoe smiled as she looked at Ronan, surprised that they were on the same wavelength again.
"As this person said, it's hard to penetrate the budget market. You're unlikely to gain much by learning from those famous wineries. You could try looking for wineries opened by new growers. It's easier to communicate with them if you have similar backgrounds, and you can also learn from their experience in developing high-end wineries."

She said in a joking tone:

"From what he's saying, everyone who comes to Provence to work in the wine industry is a 'successful person,' so they must all have some tricks up their sleeves. Look at this guy, he sells wine at such high prices and he's still surviving, isn't he?"

Ronan nodded:

"That's what I think too. Learning like a headless fly isn't very efficient, and this is one clear direction."

Stella de Stoker is certainly not a successful winery, and Ronan has to change its original business model, perhaps drastically. There is so much to learn and emulate.

Zoe obediently sat back down:

"We all asked our friends."

“Okay,” Ronan said with a smile.

Zoe is now on par with Ronan in terms of her "friends network".

She can even get an autographed jersey from the star player of the Marseille Olympic team in just a few days.

With her help, I believe my next study plan will soon be on the agenda.

I bought way too much spirits this time.

Ronan and Zoe alone couldn't possibly finish it all, and even with two families included, it would still be difficult.

Back at the restaurant, Ronan took out several bottles and distributed them to the farmers.

Ronan has always been very considerate of everyone.

They're introducing jobs and giving the women in the family opportunities to earn money, and now they're giving them expensive wine.

The farmers secretly discussed among themselves, thinking they couldn't keep taking Ronan's benefits for free. The branches in his vineyard hadn't been pruned yet, so why didn't they go and prune them for him?

And so, word spread from one farmer to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and people spontaneously went to Ronan's house to work.

Ronan said no twice, but they wouldn't listen, so he simply stopped talking about it.

One morning, Ronan saw Pierre arrive and went over to inquire:

Why are the vineyards near Lourmarin so scattered? Has no one ever owned a large vineyard?

This question had been on his mind ever since he returned from Gourd, and Ronan guessed that Pierre must know the answer.

Pierre frowned and asked Ronan in return:

Has no one ever explained the history of Lourmarin cultivation to you?

Ronan shook his head:

"No."

Pierre lit a cigarette:

"Then let me tell you about it."

Ronan knew this was going to be a long story, but he still had to go into the mountains later:
"Make it quick?"

Pierre lit a cigarette:
"Lourmarin was an important olive-growing region in Luberon for the previous few centuries, and it has only started to be planted with grapes in recent decades."

"Why?" Ronan asked, puzzled.

Pierre exhaled a smoke ring:
"Because of the great frost of 1956."

(End of this chapter)