On March 8, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Pauline from the Atelier de Bacchus came to the Château de Portets to interview Marie-Hélène about her role and her duties at the property.
The Bacchus Workshop – Hello everyone, Welcome to the Château de Portets, I present to you Marie-Hélène Yung-Théron. Hello Marie-Hélène!
Marie-Hélène – Hello Pauline! Nice to welcome you this morning.
The Bacchus Workshop – Today is Women’s Day! What a great idea to interview a renowned woman in the wine industry with many facets at this beautiful family property. Marie-Hélène, can you tell us about your background? How did you end up at this family property?
Marie-Hélène – Listen, simply because I was lucky enough to be born there, so even though nowadays, at my age, we no longer say the number of years, I really have the full benefit of knowing this property perfectly well.
Since I was born there, we have all our childhood memories, all our states of being that are passionate, that grow with all our specific feelings of a family atmosphere and a wine-growing atmosphere.
The Bacchus Workshop – Do you have any siblings?
Marie-Hélène – So I have an older brother, Pierre-Jean, who doesn’t live on the property at all. He has taken on another profile that is very far removed from wine because he is a trader.
The Bacchus Workshop – What is your job within the property? What do you do?
Marie-Hélène – So my job: I am a winemaker or viticulturist, depending on what you want to hear. The wine world has many facets; essentially, the wine world is more about managing production: going to visit your vineyards regularly is important; you need to keep track of everything: the cuvettes, the cellars, the blends, but also the commercial side, the representation of marketing, the sale of the wines, and in recent years, an additional dynamic has been added to the Château de Portets, which is the part of the business called œnotourisme.
The Bacchus Workshop – So you have lots of hats and lots of strings for your bow?
Marie-Hélène – A lot, a lot, so we’re part of the professions where you need to have competence in several areas; then of course you have the intelligence to get closer to the people who can help us with these different skills, and then of course, we always have the choice of making the decision.
The Bacchus Workshop – Do you get the impression that there are more and more women who manage all these skills within the wine estates?
Marie-Hélène – To me it seems that yes, I have always seen women within the wine-growing estates; perhaps I was one of the first. So what I want to say is that I was born as a winemaker. Often in my time, there were wives of winegrowers, but I claim my status as a woman born as a winemaker.
The Bacchus Workshop – Marie-Hélène, in your opinion, what is the role of women in the wine world? Do they know everything?
Marie-Hélène – So listen, I’m probably here, you’re here too, so yes. Anyway, we women are asked a lot because obviously with our profession we are also parents, so there’s always this extra management, not that I want to be a feminist at all. But it’s just that we women have this ability to adapt every day to multiple activities.
The Bacchus Workshop – Every day we wake up, we think we know it, and in the end we don’t know it. Is that it?
Marie-Hélène – Exactly, often in the evening I finish my day and I think to myself, but in the end it’s not quite what I thought I was going to do.
The Bacchus Workshop – If I asked you to name a woman in the wine industry, who would you think of? Is there anyone who makes you vibrate?
Marie-Hélène – So I’m also going to stick with my Bordeaux Wine Route in Graves and Sauternes, where the Château de Portets is located. Listen to a woman who could have been admirable: that was probably Françoise Joséphine d’Yquem, who, starting in the 18th century, took matters into her own hands and really got them under control. Just look at where the reputation of Yquem is today.
The Bacchus Workshop – Today, the day of women’s rights is being commemorated; have you, Marie-Hélène, as a winemaker/viniculturist, already encountered difficulties in this world of winemaking/viniculture? Perhaps you could tell us an anecdote?
Marie-Hélène – So yes, that was when I was 19 years old, I was in the brand new cellars of a property in the Médoc, which was once ours. And so a neighbor approached me saying: «Oh there, oh there, not women in the wine, especially in a cellar, they will bring bad luck.» So it’s true that I was surprised at my young age; obviously I thought to myself: «Well, that’s strange, surprising.» And then finally, you see, if I tell you this today it’s probably a defining phrase but that helped me build my life as a winemaker.
The Bacchus Workshop – In your opinion, Marie-Hélène, what advantages can women have in the wine industry?
Marie-Hélène – So listen, they have a lot of them. But there is one in particular that I hold very dear to my heart. It’s really the sense of detail, the sense of perfection that can be applied to every stage of production, from tasting to marketing a wine. We really are… I think excellence really lies in the details and it’s a quality that is truly unique to women.
The Bacchus Workshop – For you, is there a female wine? Other than yours. What is a female wine to you?
Marie-Hélène – So I don’t know if there is a masculine or feminine wine. Wine must be well made and well matured in order to please consumers in particular.
The Bacchus Workshop – It can be noticed that women in the wine world are taking up more and more space, but some still hesitate to get involved because it can be a job that is sometimes a bit too physical, a bit too masculine, but well things are changing anyway. Would you have any advice for a young woman who is hesitant to enter the wine industry?
Marie-Hélène – So listen, I think there’s no hesitation to have, I think we have this conviction within ourselves when we want to be a winemaker. It’s true that it’s a tough, difficult, seasonal job, so today you see me well prepared of course, but that’s not the case every day… But here’s the thing, it’s a dynamic and that’s precisely the richness of the profession because one day you’ll be in the vineyard, the next day in the cellar, the next day at a demonstration, and then I think we shouldn’t hesitate, on the contrary, we should be a woman; obviously it will probably always be a little more difficult because we have a somewhat physical job, but in any case it’s very enriching and I wish it to many.
The Bacchus Workshop – Are you one of those people who have three outfits in their car trunk so they can quickly switch between them?
Marie-Hélène – I have the good fortune not to have to do that because I live there. But here, you see, after your interview, I’m going to change clothes so that I can wear perhaps a more appropriate outfit because I know that at the end of the morning I’m called to a vineyard plot.
The Bacchus Workshop – Marie-Hélène, before we move on to the personal section, would you have a project to reveal to us about yourself or the ownership of the Château de Portets?
Marie-Hélène – Especially regarding the property of Château de Portets: from the perspective of wine tourism, this year for the 2023 season, we have enlisted the help of «La Bulle Verte», which is a dynamic business that focuses on everything related to supporting low-carbon circuits, electric bicycles, or walking. Today, at least for this season, Château de Portets is developing a walking tour where people will come to discover the property and also a part of the history of the village of Portets, so I obviously invite you to come and discover it.
The Bacchus Workshop – Let’s move on to the famous personal section of Marie-Hélène; be careful, it’s a big surprise. If you were a sport, which one would you be?
Marie-Hélène – So I will be a racehorse.
The Bacchus Workshop – If you were a movie, which one would you be?
Marie-Hélène – Listen to me, I am particularly sensitive to James Bond films.
The Bacchus Workshop – Very well, you’re an adventurer too; nothing ultimately scares you.
Marie-Hélène – Maybe it was the job that gave me these ideas.
The Bacchus Workshop – If you were finally to finish a quote, which one would it be?
Marie-Hélène – Then I will allow myself to read it because it is a quote that is always very moving to me because it characterizes me a lot and I put it into practice every day. So it comes from Napoleon Bonaparte: «It is the art of being at once very daring and very cautious, and the art of succeeding.»
The Bacchus Workshop – Very well, that’s quite inspiring indeed. Thank you very much Marie-Hélène for the time you’ve given to this interview, for your welcome and for seeing me again very soon at Bacchus’ microphone!
