A Surprising Discovery at Château Gaillard

Château Gaillard, Amboise

The walks around Château Gaillard in Amboise are well worth exploring. You never know what’s around the next corner, you certainly don’t expect to stumble across a romantic old wine press with the prestigious stamp Mabille Frères.

Brothers, André and Ernest, took over their father’s (Jacques) business he started in 1835. In those days he manufactured locks. He then went on to make iron screws for Presses before deciding to make Presses himself. In 1869 the brothers patented a ratcheting mechanism for the pressing nut as it moved down the central iron spindle.

Mabille Wine Press at Château Gaillard

Long before Amboise became synonymous with the name of Leonardo, it was famous the world over by presses stamped Mabille Amboise, a must have for serious wine makers. In 1824, when the duke of Salaparuta in Sicily, Italy, a passionate connoisseur of good wine, decided to produce an elegant, “french style” wine from the grapes on his estate he wanted the best wine press on the market so imported Mabille wine presses from Amboise.

There is a nice touch of irony here because it was Italy who introduced wine into France. The oldest wine press discovered on French soil from 426 BC is the first evidence of winemaking in France.

The duke’s Sicilian wine launched the Sicilian wine industry. His pride and joy, Corvo Prima Goccia, is much sought after by wine buffs with deep pockets.

Already familiar with Georges Mabille who bought a hangar designed and signed by none other than Gustave Eiffel (of Tour d’ Eiffel) fame and reassembled it in rue Germain Chauveau near Amboise station, the Mabille wine press in what looks like an old winery was a wonderful surprise. You do wonder whether it would still work today.

Although wine pressing is as old as wine, although the first wine press was the human foot (still used in some wine regions) although each style of press gets the juice from the grape, today the press is carefully controlled to avoid crushing the grape seeds and releasing tannins into the wine.

We wonder, if the old Mabille Press could be brought back to life, Château Gaillard which sells its own orange juice, may one day also sell its own wine.

Post by Pamela