The Estate
Jean Wambergue
Passionate about farming, Jean Wambergue acquired his first agricultural parcels in 2015, and began by producing cereals and oilseeds. With a limited surface area, he chose to keep a salaried job on the side, in order to consolidate his fledgling business.
In 2020, he seized the opportunity to become a winemaker, first by taking over 2 hectares of vines in the commune of Saulcet, near Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (03), France. Having grown up in a wine-growing area, he had always been fascinated by this activity. He decided to train in oenology, and to vinify and market his own harvest. As he had no material structure of his own, he initially made his wines at a colleague’s winery, while waiting for a winery to be built on his estate. With their support, as well as that of his family and friends, he now has 4 hectares in production, enabling him to create 5 cuvées a year in a winery in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule.
An estate in transition to organic farming
Aware of climate and health issues, Jean decided to convert the estate to the French organic agriculture certification in 2022. Attentive to learn and to practice environmentally-friendly viticulture, he is interested in natural plant care and life of soils. He favors manual management of the vines, with grass between the rows of vines and mechanical weeding of the rows using the intercep system. The estate’s human scale allows him to observe and intervene only when necessary, depending on the rhythm of life and climatic conditions. The aim is to produce modern, high-quality wines that respect nature.
The terroir
The “Domaine Jean Wambergue” is located in Saulcet, a village in Saint-Pourçain’s vineyard. The estate’s parcels are planted on clay-limestone slopes, renowned for the roundness, finesse and fruitiness that this type of soil imparts to the wine. The wines are currently produced under the IGP Val de Loire Allier label. The estate is currently being restructured to enable new cuvées to be vinified in AOP Saint-Pourçain.
Jean Wambergue is a member of the Loire Volcanique association, which brings together the 4 vineyards furthest up the Loire: Côtes d’Auvergne, Côtes du Forez, Côte Roannaise and Saint-Pourçain. The aim of the association is to promote these little-known vineyards.
