Château de Malartic, the exceptional family vineyard

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The Malartic-Lagravière estate is a renowned vineyard located in the New Aquitaine region of Léognan. With its history, the castle has been occupied by the Bonnie family since the late 1990s. Having revived the house and the vineyard, the family has been cultivating family traditionsfor more than 20 years. It is in a dynamic of innovation that the Bonnie family has created its own recipe book.

Nevertheless, this is not the first area to diversify its business. Indeed, many vineyards did not wait for the health crisis to diversify. Between tasting, tables and guest houses or discovery workshops, there is something for everyone! This allows winemakers to keep their heads above water, despite a climate that is not very stable both in terms of weather and in terms of health.

The Four Seasons of Malartic, a family recipe book

The Château de Malartic-Lagravière is an exceptional vineyard located in Léognan, not far from the Bordeaux conurbation. Purchased in 1997 by Michèle and Alfred Bonnie, the castle has now been in the family for 24 years. During their installation, the Bonnie family brought the castle and the vineyard back to life by restauranting and expanding. They built a new and innovative winery with exceptional technical tools. Indeed, the Malartic-Lagravière estate is not just a vineyard, it is also a family place where tradition and modernity are the watchwords.

Guided by passion and curiosity, Michèle and Alfred passed on their skills to their children and grandchildren. Thus, the new generation of the Bonnie family ensures the sustainability and destiny of the estate. The children of Michèle and Alfred, Véronique and Jean-Jacques, accompanied by their respective families, bring a new lease of life to the castle and the vineyard.

chateau vineyard malartic book recipes

In a context of health crisis and containment, the Bonnie family has created its own cookbook. The aim is to strengthen the links with their loyal customers by offering them recipes to marry with the famous Malartic wines. Entitled The Four Seasons of Malartic,the cookbook brings together culinary treasures. A mixture of Belgian, Argentinian and French traditions,the recipes aim to bring people together while making people discover. Food and wine pairings are essential for the Bonnie family, making a point of honouring the local and family tradition.

As the name suggests, the book highlights the 4 seasons. Thus, 6 recipes are proposed for each season, always accompanied by a wine from their productions. The Malartic wine book is thus in line with the values advocated by bonnie such asauthenticity, lifestyle, innovation and modernity.

Diversification of activity, vineyards on the front line

To diversify its activity as winemakers, several possibilities are available to them. Indeed, winetourism is the perfect example. Thus, wine tourism aims to discover the wine regions as well as the production of the latter. Many castles and wineries welcome tourists in search of discoveries around this ancestral know-how. Indeed, the wineries no longer have as their only activity production. These are now real tourism areas in their own right.

Wine tourism can come in many forms. Among them are visits to wine-tasting wine from the wine industry. Nevertheless, there are also other formats such as the cottage and guest house. Eager to discover castle life, in a peaceful environment filled with history, tourists were already more than 10 million in 2016. The health crisis of the Covid-19 has thus affected the sector because tourists are both French and foreign. Indeed, foreigners accounted for more than 42% of tourists. The winemakers had to think about other alternatives in order to make up for this lack. So the Bonnie family did just that by publishing their own cookbook around the Malartic estate. A new way to keep traditions and know-how alive in a society where everything is moving at a high speed.

Sources:

Château Malartic-Lagravière, press kit February 2021

Summary of key figures for wine tourism,Wine and Society, June 25, 2019

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