Patrick & Alain DUVERNAY

This is the story of Patrick, a father, and Alain, a son, who both share a passion for wine. Their 12-hectare vineyard is situated entirely within the commune of Dardagny and is home to a wide variety of grape varieties, including Chasselas, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Gamaret, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Divico.

Like father, like son.

When you exchange a few words with these two companions, you immediately realise not only their love for the winemaking trade, but also their deep respect for people. You sense it very quickly: teamwork is what drives them. In fact, they also seek out that team spirit outside their estate, on the rugby pitch. Rugby is their passion!

Alain and Patrick, both straightforward and with a charming touch of philosophy, believe that to be a good winegrower, one must above all demonstrate self-sacrifice, but also curiosity and a good measure of rigour. Father and son particularly enjoy harvesting by hand, as well as pruning the vines to find a little peace of mind, or even that moment when they can finally taste the fruits of their labour! For them, it is ‘a great moment of pride’.

Patrick’s family already owned the vineyard. His parents were not winegrowers, but cattle dealers. When Patrick was studying at agricultural college, he took courses in so-called ‘specialised crops’, including viticulture, with a view to eventually taking over the existing vineyard.

As for Alain, he initially studied business, then worked for a while in a production company before his passion for wine quickly took over. He therefore naturally followed in his father’s footsteps by enrolling at the same agricultural college. He has now been working with his father for a year, who is kindly passing on his knowledge and experience to him. Patrick explains this to us using a lovely metaphor: “Alain is gently taking on the mantle and will tailor it to fit him.”

Patrick, who has been a winemaker at La Cave de Genève since it first opened, says he sees it as a pooling of skills with the aim of producing quality wine, together.

Which wines are their favourites? For Patrick, it’s the Divico! In his view, it could well become an everyday wine and perhaps even replace Gamay. Alain, on the other hand, has several favourites: Gamaret, Cœur de Clémence, Merlot, Gamay Vieilles Vignes, but above all the sweet wine, l’Intuition!