Meet Louis Terral, the new blood of Bugey

Meet Louis Terral, the new blood of Bugey

Posted by Joe Perry on 7th May 2020

Between the cities of Lyon and Geneva, in the west alpine region in France lies the small wine producing region of Bugey. This cool climate region has fast become known across the globe from producing sparkling rose wines with hints of residual sugar. So much so is the success of these wines that the still whites and reds of Bugey are often overlooked and less preffered by winemakers in the region.

This is not the case for young gun Louis Terral. Based in the town of Mérignat, right in the heart of Bugey-Cerdon (a highly regarded sparkling wine Cru) Louis is in fact the only producer in the village to make still red wine!

Considered the new blood of Bugey, Louis Terral already has a pretty incredible resume. He's trained under Julie Balagny, Michel Guignier, Jean-Louis Dutraive & Phillip Valette, some of the greatest natural winemakers on the planet. Add to that famous biodynamic Bugey sparkling producers Raphael Bartucci where Louis spent some time working whilst visiting his wifes home town.

It was his time with Raphael where Louis realised the true potential of the Gamay grape in Bugey and set about obtaining his first vineyards in 2016 whilst still helping fellow vignerons. Louis' vineyards are certified organic, and will be certified biodynamic next year.

All of Louis Terral's wines contain no chemical additions and are each named after historical French female figures.

The wines of Louis Terral are simpy some of the most energetic, elegant, and delicious takes on alpine Gamay we've ever seen. While not a lot of information is available on the wines of Louis Terral, they've certainly got a feeling like they're about to take the world by storm. 

See the wines available from Louis Terral