de Cazanove Ekaterine

About

Ekaterina de Cazenove, originally from the Republic of Moldova, discovered her passion for viticulture in childhood, amidst the family vineyards in the Codrii region, where her parents produced wine for their own use and for local cooperatives. Intrigued by the fermentation process, she pursued enology studies at the Agricultural Institute in Chisinau, laying the foundation for a career dedicated to wine. Arriving in France through a student exchange program in Nantes (ENITIAA, now ONIRIS), she gained experience in the agri-food industry, working in Russia to promote dairy products for Senoble, then in Paris as a sommelier and at a wine merchant in Bordeaux, obtaining degrees in agri-food engineering and a master's in business. In 2019, married and settled in France, Ekaterina took over 70 hectares of agricultural land in Saint-Julien-de-Cassagnas, at the foot of the Cévennes mountains in the Gard region, from her in-laws, transforming them into Domaine de Cassagnas, a project officially launched in 2020-2021. She planted 8 hectares of vines using a vitiforestry system, alternating rows of vines with olive trees, oaks, and honey-producing flowers, integrating apiaries and bird nests, with 13-16 varieties adapted to water stress and diseases (such as Assyrtiko, Saperavi, Syrah, Chardonnay). She makes natural wines, in monocépage with minimal intervention, in a bioclimatic cellar, producing cuvées such as Pantaissada, Hunga, or Partition Automnale, emphasizing biodiversity and terroir, despite challenges such as the 2022 drought which destroyed 70% of the young plants. Her project, supported by European funds through Région Occitanie (over €64,000 for equipment and installation as a young farmer), was honored by officials such as Aurélie Genolher and Cathy Chaulet during the women's equality month, highlighting the role of women in viticulture. Her husband cultivates aromatic plants on the rest of the land, and the family lives in the village's former train station, a symbol of their new life. Ekaterina organizes events such as natural wine markets at the guinguette La Moulinette and participates in trade shows dedicated to female winemakers, promoting "nature" wines that reconnect with nature and evoke memories of her Moldovan childhood.