Domaine
DELONCA
A TASTE FOR FAMILY
At the beginning of the 20th century, in Cers, grandfather Fernand Delonca
made his own wine in the house which still belongs to the family and
where the concrete vats have been preserved.
Their wines are
inviting,
moreish and in
novative.
GLOSSARY
Soulenque
Traditional meal at the end of the harvest.
Serge Delonca, Olivier’s father, was one
of the earliest cooperative winegrowers,
like many other growers following the
1910 crisis that had huge effect on
winemaking. As for Olivier, he decided
on a different path, gaining an oenology
certificate and, like his grandfather,
wanting to make his own wine.
This challenge has led him today, with
his wife Magali, to the ownership of a
beautiful vineyard estate, a winery and a
shop created five years ago where they
sell their range of wines (9 references). It’s
here too that he develops their marketing
strategy, like the one they have developed
with their “Leçon” range.
In tribute to a famous brand of lingerie that
evokes charm, sensuality and femininity,
they did not hesitate in creating, rather
successfully, a fine parallel with wine.
But don’t be fooled, if the buildings look
recent and the couple are young, Olivier
benefits from solid experience.
Today, he is the only independent
winegrower who makes his own wine
on site in the three villages of Cers,
Portiragnes et Villeneuve-Lès-Béziers.
This requires a very high standard to be
23
competitive. But no matter, he is used to
a challenge.
Conscious
of
environmental
and
commercial issues, he is taking on
the sensible challenge of obtaining
“Haute Valeur Environnementale” (HVE)
certification. Here too, the pressure of
property development is at work and
homes border his vineyards, and he also
knows that “you must take care of others”,
even more so after losing his father after
a long illness.
At the Deloncas, the family comes first, as
demonstrated by their favourite wine: the
SECA vintage.
In homage to his father and produced
from vines which originally belonged to
him, this wine celebrates Serge Delonca,
who, as a child, thought his name was
too long and gave himself the nickname
of “SECA”.
A drawing of the vines bordering the
Canal du Midi illustrates the label,
created by Magali’s very gifted mother.
And the Seca grandchildren, Zoé et
Marius, insisted that the green Citroen
van their Grandpa used to drive
around the vineyards should also be
immortalised on the label. This touching
story shows how important family roots
are here and the annual celebration of
the “Soulenque”, which attracts more
and more people each year, also bears
witness to this.
“All the members of the family lend
a hand!” Magali tells us. With the
Canal crossing their vineyards, long
walks beckon and Magali is currently
preparing some fine new ideas for our
tourist friends next year.
21, AVENUE DE LA CONDAMINE - 34420 CERS
06 18 09 13 58 - vignoble-delonca.com
Vignoble Delonca
Winery shop open year round from Tuesday to Saturday.