ED Sociétés, Politique, Santé Publique
From the Cape of Good Hope to the Pointe de Grave: a study of natural wine and its political challenges - Environmental movements and the transformation of wine production
by Clémentine CHAZAL (Les Afriques dans le Monde)
The defense will take place at 14h30 - Copernic Sciences Po Bordeaux, 11 allée Ausone, 33600 Pessac
in front of the jury composed of
- Dominique DARBON - Professeure des universités - Sciences Po Bordeaux - CoDirecteur de these
- Antoine ROGER - Professeure des universités - Sciences Po Bordeaux - Examinateur
- Sylvie OLLITRAULT - Directrice de recherche - Université Paris Nanterre - Rapporteur
- Andy SMITH - Directeur de recherche - Sciences Po Bordeaux - CoDirecteur de these
- Stefano PONTE - Professeur - Copenhagen Business School - Rapporteur
- Cheryl MCEWAN - Professeur - Durham University - Examinateur
- Marie HRABRANSKI - Chargée de recherche - CIRAD - Examinateur
Within the current wine industry, a paradigm shift is underway as winemakers increasingly question conventional Fordist practices and intensive viticulture techniques. Yet, this departure from the industrial model remains confined to a select cohort of trailblazing winemakers who are reshaping wine production by championing environmental stewardship, ecological care, small-scale viticulture, and renewed craftsmanship. These alternative practices manifest through the emergence of the natural wine movement, a niche segment of the wine market that has attracted tremendous attention from wine professionals, specialised media and critics internationally, provoking some acute reactions from all ends of the wine spectrum. This research departs from the absence of a technical definition for natural wine, examining it not as a product, nor a commodity, but as a social movement. The doctoral study is grounded in three key hypotheses. First, I assert that the natural wine movement acts as a platform for resistance and radical innovations, particularly for small independent winemakers, setting a precedent within an industry that is highly normed, regulated, and symbolically charged. Second, I argue that the Natural Wine Movement has surfaced in all wine regions, both from the so-called Old and New World. Consequently, the natural wine movement can be considered a transnational network with a diversity of local anchors yet supporting an international identity that cuts across wine regions. Third, I contend that the natural wine network allows for a political project of knowledge production throughout the wine sector at large, offering alternative ways of producing and showcasing innovations. In this perspective, the natural wine network becomes an agent for incremental yet structural change within the wine industry Adopting an approach at the crossroads between political sociology and political economy, and employing qualitative methods, including interviews and observations, and social network analysis, this study delves into the emergence of the natural wine movement in two distinguished wine regions: the Western Cape Province in South Africa and the Bordeaux region in France.