A  Research  Cluster

INRA is represented in an even bigger institution along with the University of Bordeaux, BEM and BSA. That institution is Institute des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV).

ISVV was founded in 2002 by various political institutions of the Aquitaine region, the French Ministry of Higher Education, the EU, CIVB (see chapter 5.2.5) and INRA. In 2009 it opened its brand new 10.000 square metre building complex at the site of INRA and is the largest R&D-centre for wine in Europe. ISVV was created to gather and organise the effort in research on vine and wine in Bordeaux:

A lot of knowledge exists in the Bordeaux wine industry and I think the government wanted to co-ordinate this in ISVV. The industry goes back 500 years, and so does the knowledge, so it is nice to gather all the accumulated knowledge at one place. The knowledge is still spread, but at least it's an attempt to gather it. –Professor, BEM.

ISVV has its own research projects, where they gather scholars from various institutions in Bordeaux. They also offer PhD programmes. A research institution can apply to have their projects financed by the institution, and if the application goes through these projects also become part of the ISVV portfolio. This is an easier way for small actors to get funds compared to applying through the national system for grants. The institutions and departments that constitute ISVV are:

• Bordeaux 1 University (Sciences & Technology)

• Bordeaux 2 Victor Segalen University (Health & Life Sciences)

• Bordeaux 3 Montesquieu University (Humanities)

• Bordeaux 4 Michel de Montaigne University (Law & Economics)

• INRA

• BSA

• BEM

In addition to these members, ISVV co-operate with several national and international research institutions, laboratories and universities on project basis.

ISVV came up in many of the interviews as a key partner for research activities. ISVV is now financing a large part of the research on wine in Bordeaux:

If we would like to apply for money [for our projects], we should go through the ISVV. ISVV gets plenty of money from the region, and so ISVV can pretty much decide which projects goes through. –Professor, BEM.

The ISVV is therefore the spearhead of a common research and development effort for the whole industry. What is unique is that it does not only offer general wine knowledge to the whole national wine industry, as has been argued to be the case of a similar effort in Australia (Aylward 2006), but it offers region specific knowledge

deducted from a broader knowledge base of regional, national and international co-operation. If we take Aylward's (2006) study into account, it will give ground to argue that the ISVV may very well be an important reason for the Bordeaux estates' success in maintaining individuality and consistency. By providing region-specific R&D that is held to better express terroir and typicality, it satisfies the sophisticated wine consumers.

5.2.4     Consultants  

The use of consultants is very common at the estates. Three consultants were repeatedly mentioned at the interviews: Michel Rolland, Denis Dubourdieu and Stéphane Derenoncourt.

Consultants can work on different aspects of the winemaking. Some are hired to give advice on the whole process and some only for vineyard management or ad hoc activities:

We don't have a consultant, but we probably will. [...] I would love to have somebody who can work with us on the blend (making the final blend mixing different varieties and plots). It is good to work with someone that is not used to taste the wine every day. Your palate quickly becomes immune to your own wine.  –Technical Director, St. Estèphe.

The estates may work with consultants for different reasons, but one obvious reason is to broaden their knowledge by benchmarking and comparing themselves to other producers in the same region or abroad. The consultants travel all over the world and have many employers, so they have the possibility of comparing how different estates conduct their vinification, and in this way tailor and relate a larger set of knowledge

0   2   4   6   8   10   12  

Using  

Consultants   Rolland   Derenoncourt   Dubourdieu  

No   Yes  

Graph  5.2:   Eight  of  the  estates  have  permanent  consultants  and  some  of  them  even  have  multiple   ones.  Rolland  is  used  at  three  different  estates,  and  Derenoncourt  and  Dubourdieu  are  used  at  two   different  estates  each.  Other  consultants  are  also  used  in  addition  to  these  three  names.  

bases to the individual châteaux. This is difficult for the estates to do themselves: "I have enough to do with my own château, and have no time looking to the neighbour to see what he is doing. A consultant can contribute with such insight" (Managing Director, Pauillac). The consultant also has highly upgraded knowledge on the newest techniques and wine equipment:

People use consultants to increase quality. To become fully up to date in the vineyard or in the vinification process, consultancy can provide good and reflected advice. –Managing Director, St. Émilion.

The [infrared] pictures from satellites (to determine temperature of the vines) were actually Mr. Rolland who first presented to me. He just came back from Napa (California) where he'd seen this technology being used.  –Winemaker, Graves.  

So, who are these infamous consultants?

• Rolland is probably the best-known consultant, owning multiple vineyards himself and conducting analysis for hundreds of estates in his Bordeaux situated laboratory. He has his background from oenology studies in Bordeaux and advises over one hundred producers worldwide (New York Times 2006).

• Derenoncourt started his consultant activities in the late 90s and has no academic background. He started as a vineyard worker and worked his way in to the system from that. He mainly does consulting in Bordeaux, but is also hired by many US estates (Jancis Robinson 2004).

• Dubourdieu is currently a professor at the Faculté d'Oenologie and is an active publisher of research both through the ISVV and the University. He consults mainly in Bordeaux, and, as Rolland, is also in possession of his own vineyards and a laboratory (Decanter 2004).

Two of these individuals are thus from an oenological background and one is self-taught. The now deceased and famous professor Émile Peynaud started the trend by consulting the châteaux while conducting research at the Faculty, and today there are multiple such consultants operating in Bordeaux in addition to Dubourdieu (Decanter 2004). The consultants should be regarded as local superstars in the industry, and they are assumed to be some of the highest paid individuals in the wine world (Jefford 09.04.12). What is interesting is that the portfolio of these three names largely consists of well-renowned châteaux, or rising stars. It is tempting to consider these consultants as vital gatekeepers for the high-end industry, contributing to a higher absorptive capacity (Cohen & Levinthal 1990; Von Hippel 2005).