The wine marker is attending Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris for the first time with his new natural sparkling, orange and red cuvées.
Vignobles Mallard includes three family-sized vineyards in St Emillion, Sauternes and Entre-deux-Mers, two of which are located in a Natura 2000 zone, meaning they are home to some of Europe’s most valuable threatened species and habitats. The winemaker is presenting his traditional cuvées alongside three natural wines, including a Pet Nat, orange wine “Alerte Orange” and red “Chassez Le Naturel, Il Revient Au Galop”. Speaking at the trade show, Mr Laurent Mollard, who has been making wine for more than 30 years, said: “Natural wines are like time travelling machines because we are tasting the wine as it was 200 years ago.” The winemaker has accumulated environmental accreditations over the years, including HVE 3 and BIO certifications. But the hardest was getting the Vegan label because it requires making many adjustments to the wine making process, he says. For every bottle of natural wine that is purchased, a euro is donated to the association Animal Protect, which is looking to preserve the local wildlife, including bats, partridges and pollinating insects. Mr Mollard is also presenting a low alcohol red wine called Au Gré(s) De La Nature, made from Merlot grapes, which is already proving popular abroad in the United States and Scandinavia. Mr Mollard said: “Whenever I’m not in the vines, I’m thinking about the future and how I can improve my production. “The next thing I’m going to try is Blanc de Rouge – dry white wines made from red grapes. Our Cabernet-Sauvignon cépage is very well suited to this.”