Press Release
Paris, 1 April 2015
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Charity auction Wednesday 8 April 2015
The Académie des Sciences, in partnership with Henri Maire,
working against vine wood diseases
The Académie des Sciences, owner of the Clos de Rosières vineyard near Arbois in
the Jura; and Henri Maire, which has made wine from the plot for more than 70 years,
have decided to launch an ambitious research program into vine wood diseases which,
over the past two decades, have become the object of growing concern for the
vinegrowing and winemaking industry in France and around the world.
With this in mind, the Académie des Sciences and Henri Maire are organizing a charity
auction of wine from the historic vines of French chemist Louis Pasteur on 8 April. The
monies raised will go directly into the research program into vine diseases that affect
almost 13% of French vines.
Prestigious personalities
The auction is supported by actress Mélanie Doutey, Académie des Sciences member Michel
Caboche, and Jean-Robert Pitte, member of the Académie des Sciences Morales et
Politiques. It will be held on Wednesday 8 April 2015 at 6pm at the Fondation Simone et
Cino del Duca, 10 rue Alfred de Vigny, 75008 Paris. The auction will also be hosted on the
www.drouotlive.com site on 8 April.
More information can be found here: http://catalogue.drouot.com/html/d/infos.jsp?id=22919
As part of the event, a conference will be hosted by Jean-Robert Pitte on the theme of FrancComtoise bottles, before auctioneer Emmanuel Prunier will auction around 500 numbered
bottles, signed by some famous names including Bernard Pivot, Mélanie Doutey, Virginie
Efira, Apollonia Poilâne, Béatrice Cointreau, Louis-Albert De Broglie, Alexandra Lamy, JeanRobert Pitte, and Catherine Bréchignac.
An historic commitment
The Clos de Rosières, located in the village of Montigny-les-Arsures, was a crucial place for
Louis Pasteur’s research into fermentation, with his famous experiment into the origins of
ferments that earned him the title of the father of modern enology. Indeed, the very first
pasteurization was carried out on wine.
Around 20 years ago, the Académie des Sciences created the Maison de Louis Pasteur
foundation to continue the work and to conserve the memory of this benefactor of humanity.
Press contacts
Académie des Sciences: Marie-Laure Moinet presse@acdemie-sciences.fr +33 (0)1 44 41 45 51
Henri Maire: Blandine de Roaldès bderoaldes@painvincompany.com +33 (0)1 55 35 03 86
In September 2012, it commissioned one of its members, Michel Caboche, to set up a research
program involving these historic vines.
Henri Maire, the most famous wine producer in the Jura winegrowing region, has been involved
in this historic vineyard for over 70 years, vinifying around half a hectare of Clos de Rosières.
It will be working closely with the Académie des Sciences on this research program, ensuring
the replantation of all the vines in the plot for the purposes of the study.
The research program
An inventory of the “Pasteur vines” has been carried out to map the varietals present and to
analyze the health of the plot. This was a necessary step prior to setting up the different phases
of the program.
The 2,500 vines of Le Clos de Rosières are of eight different varietals, and will be pulled up
and replanted in order to create the world’s first pilot site for the study of vine wood diseases.
These diseases will no doubt become a major preoccupation for the industry over the coming
years, probably aggravated even more by factors such as climate change.
This “open-air laboratory” will be run by a national research group coordinated by Patrice Rey
(UMR, “SAVE”: Santé et Agroécologie du Vignoble, INRA/Bordeaux Sciences Agro). Their
research will evaluate the factors that trigger vine wood disease and will compare the
microbiota, the microflora colonizing vine wood from both healthy varietals and infected ones,
in the hunt for an eventual protective effect. The study of the natural resistance of certain vines
to the agents that cause diseases should, in the long term, allow for the testing of potential
microbial agents to fight this pest.
See For scientific universalism at http://universalisme.fr/
More about the Académie des sciences
Since its creation in 1666, the Académie des Sciences has been dedicated to the development of
science and advises governmental authorities in this area. It is independent and protected by the
President of the Republic, and one of the five academies of the Institut de France. Its members work in
themed committees that cooperate closely with statutory governance bodies. The Académie has five
fundamental missions: to encourage science, promote the teaching of science, share understanding,
promote international collaborations, and to play the role of expert and advisor.
http://www.academie-sciences.fr/
More about Henri Maire
Henri Maire is the emblematic wine producer of the Jura department, accounting for around 15% of the
total production of Jura wines and 30% of the Arbois appellation with 250 hectares of vines. It has been
working with the Académie des Sciences to promote the vines of Louis Pasteur for over 60 years. With
sales of €38m, €16m of which is from exports, its international structure will serve to promote the work
and research being carried out by the Académie des Sciences.
http://www.henri-maire.fr/
Press contacts
Académie des Sciences: Marie-Laure Moinet presse@acdemie-sciences.fr +33 (0)1 44 41 45 51
Henri Maire: Blandine de Roaldès bderoaldes@painvincompany.com +33 (0)1 55 35 03 86