In 1987, when the author was just 22, he inherited a 60-hectare vineyard from his father, who had died in a car accident. At first he tried to balance his life as a professional rugby player with his responsibility to the family wine business, but within a few years he had left the sport to devote himself to creating a new, organic paradigm for the wine industry in the south of France—the largest and most diverse wine region in the world.
Since 1993 he has acquired a number of other estates, for a total of 17. The company now has 400 employees, 400 independent suppliers, and 12 business units around the world. Gérard Bertrand is an internationally recognized wine label with annual sales of about €180 million. When Bertrand began his journey, wines from his native Languedoc were regarded as table wine at best. Today his wines are recognized around the world for their quality, competing with the finest vintages from Bordeaux and Burgundy.
In this article he explains how putting nature—both human and environmental—at the heart of his decision-making has contributed to the company’s success and continues to drive its strategy.
In 1987, when I was just 22, my father died in a car accident, leaving me the 60-hectare Languedoc wine estate that he and my grandmother had built. At the time, I was playing high-level rugby, and thoughts of taking over the family business were far off. But I knew this was a moment in which I had to step up.
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