Henri-Pierre DUPRAZ 

It is in the heart of the village of Soral that we meet Henri-Pierre, a winegrower unlike any other. Together with his father, John, they own a 14-hectare vineyard as well as a 66-hectare farm. Between Soral, Laconnex and Viry, they grow Gamay, Gamaret, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, as well as Chasselas and Chardonnay.

For the Dupraz family, viticulture and agriculture are a family affair. Henri-Pierre’s grandfather was already managing the farm at the time, but it was John who developed the vineyard in the 1970s. He has, in fact, always worked with La Cave de Genève. Our dynamic winegrower tells us that his father, a very active man, still handles much of the day-to-day running of the business, because as well as working the land, Henri-Pierre is a lawyer and founded his own business law practice after working for several years at a major law firm.

Childhood memories

Although he had always known – or at least since he was very young – that he wanted to become a lawyer, our meticulous winegrower always remained closely involved with the family estate, even whilst studying law. Incidentally, before taking over the estate in his own name, he had initially taken it over with one of his sisters.

Henri-Pierre has lasting and happy memories of his childhood and teenage years spent in the vineyards. With a broad smile, he tells us that he always enjoyed the work he did in the vineyards during the summer, whilst on his long holidays. He also loves to recall memories of his dad, in the Jeep, proudly delivering the grapes to La Cave. He also remembers the wonderful moments spent sharing meals around the table with the teams of grape pickers. Chats, songs, laughter, lively meals: life itself!

‘You have to be hard on yourself before you can be hard on others.’

Henri-Pierre may well have gained his open-mindedness from his extensive travels. Whether in Indonesia, Pakistan or the United States, or in Austria and England on Erasmus exchanges, he loves to get out and about and discover new cultures! This father of two young daughters, aged 9 and 5, admits to us that he is very thorough in both his roles and is by nature demanding – first of all of himself, and then of others.

What he particularly loves about being a winegrower is, of course, being in touch with nature and the connection to the land, but also the reminder of life’s essentials – the tangible things. He adds that mutual support is a key aspect of the profession and that it is vital for colleagues to support one another. In fact, following the example of La Cave de Genève, he has even set up a co-operative in his home village with, amongst others, two fellow winegrowers. And because he is a committed individual, he also serves on the board of Laiteries Réunies in Geneva, even though he is not a milk producer himself.

Passion Red

Henri-Pierre loves red – the colour of Merlot, a rich and characterful grape variety – but also the various shades of autumn. The soft light on the foliage, the tranquillity: for him, autumn is an ideal and magical time to get away for a few hours to the mountains with his family.

Without mincing his words, Henri-Pierre asserts that when it comes to Geneva wines, “we’ve got nothing to be ashamed of”! As well as his fondness for Merlot, he loves a good Chasselas as an aperitif, and indeed it’s a wine he often brings to his friends here or those living abroad, to introduce them to it. La Feuillée is one of the wines that makes his heart skip a beat every time he tastes it.

A look to the future

As for the future, Henri-Pierre points out that he does not wish to be negative, but that agriculture and viticulture face significant challenges, such as climate change, regulations and environmental issues. However, although people are drinking less wine, he wants to remain optimistic and confident, as he knows that winegrowers and farmers work very hard and are full of resourcefulness.

Finally, this ‘guardian of heritage’ – as he describes himself – looks after his land and does his utmost to preserve the natural environment, whilst ensuring economic viability, so that one day he can pass on the torch…