On October 2, 2020, storm Alex ravaged the valleys of the Alpes-Maritimes.
Among them, that of Roya, of which the village of La Brigue is a part.
This disaster gave rise to a project: restoring the village's vines.
“There wasn't much left, the valley was devastated,” sighs Virgile Ganne.
This resident of La Brigue, a small town in Roya, in the Alpes-Maritimes, painfully remembers storm Alex, which ravaged the Nice hinterland on October 2, 2020. He also remembers the "piece of land in face", which has become "a wasteland" over the years.
"Without this natural disaster that took everything away, I don't know if we would have wanted to be together and do things together so much," he reflects.
Because from this tragedy was born a common project for some of the inhabitants: to redo wine in this village.
“I had just settled in, I was a new Brigasque, remembers the young man of 33 years.
The storm was like an accelerator of encounters and cohesion.
It was in this moment of intense solidarity that I discovered my neighbours.
We worked together, we moved forward together.
This energy was really beautiful.
So an elder, Robert Alberti, took the opportunity to launch an idea that he had had at heart for a while: to restore the old vineyard of La Brigue.
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About twenty grape varieties in test
Quickly, during the winter, the La Ciappea association was created and put into action "in May 2021", details Virgile.
But before clearing brush, do you still need access to the land?
"This is the first difficulty we faced," says the member of the association.
A hundred families had between one and three hectares of vines each, but none wanted to maintain the land.
Since the 1960s, everything had been abandoned.
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Only plants and a few low walls make it possible to recognize a trace of the vineyard.
The owners then easily ceded ten-year leases offered by La Ciappea.
The documents thus allow members to access the land, clean it and act agriculturally on it.
Today, about sixty people are part of the project.
"Two very active groups stood out: about fifteen people took charge of certain terraces where they planted vines or other fruit trees," continues Virgile.
And another, of three this time and of which I am one, puts only vines.
There are 50 vines per grape variety, of which around twenty are tested.
This diversity will make it possible to know the best grapes and thus make quality wine”.
Optimal conditions for good wine
In La Brigue, there has therefore already been wine production.
“150 years ago, the Maralpine territory was very rich in wine, explains the enthusiast.
There were 28,000 hectares of vines, almost 500 in each village.
All families had a plot for their personal consumption.
Because of a disease that has contaminated everything, an urban legend says that we could not make good wine.
We will prove the opposite.
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If the Brigasque seems so determined, it is also because he is well supported.
For a year and the first plantations, the group has been supported by a wine engineer from the Alpes-Maritimes Chamber of Agriculture who offers her technical knowledge on the subject.
But also because “the conditions remain optimal for it to work”: covered, sunny, well-irrigated land at a good altitude.
"The Ciappea is a cohesion as a whole"
Beyond the production aspect, La Ciappea is in contact with researchers who will study the environmental, social and economic impact of the cultivation of terraces over a period of three years.
“As storm Alex clearly showed, we live in a changing culture, an evolving mountain territory that also has to deal with climate change.
It is therefore interesting to see how to adapt as a winegrower”, supports Virgile.
He adds: “We all have different motivations in the association but one thing is certain, we want to restore the heritage of La Brigue and bring something to the village.
And maybe even elsewhere.
The Ciappea makes it possible "to link up with other projects in the valley", according to the member of the association, who specifies that the mayors of Tende and Breil asked if it was possible to set up "test gateways" by at their home.
“In addition to having a more beautiful landscape, this project makes it possible to better retain the water that falls with the terraces and it limits the risk of landslides, he concludes.
There are only advantages, especially that of being able to share a bottle.
The Ciappea is a cohesion as a whole with a goal that federates.
See you in five years to taste the first (good) cuvée!
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