Grower-distiller
In the Charentes, the grower-distiller is the name given to a winegrower who distils their wine, usually at their estate, or has their production distilled. There are approximately 3,400 grower-distillers in the region, representing nearly 80% of winegrowers. From November to late March, the grower-distiller works to the rhythm of their pot still, pouring wines into the boiler, with their tasting glass in hand to collect the heads or tails from the first or second distillation to obtain the perfect aromatic expression in the core of the “chauffe”. A single-handed sailor, they can either use a computer and several automatic reflexes, even operating remotely using their smartphone, or adopt traditional methods used by previous generations, such as adding wood to the boiler every two hours.
