Stephen Carrier

How did you come to the world of wine?

Borned in Champagne my parents used to be wine producers. The wine culture has always been part of my families’ life for several generations.
At the beginning, when I was 6 years old, I was not happy to walk on the rows of vines, but later it began to be a real pleasure. As my passion grew, I have decided that the vine would be at the heart of my job.

Your job has many facets. Which facet (s) do you prefer?

My job is the management of a wine property. From the vineyard to the winery, through the administrative aspect, the management of employees, and the special way of selling wines in Bordeaux for Grands Crus wines.
I consider that the wine is the most important part of my job. If we want to make quality wines, I believe we must focus our attention, our energy and our budget on vineyard management.
The vineyard of Fieuzal has been organic for seven years. We applied for certification three years ago. From 2019 onward all the wines of Fieuzal will be organically farmed.
We cannot talk about Fieuzal without talking about the current owners. The decision taken last November not to produce wine because of the quality of the grapes is a strong decision. Since 2001, Fieuzal belongs to Irish owners and if I can flourish today in my work, thanks to them.

How did you hear about H&A?

Naturally, by word of mouth. Everybody was talking about H&A.
The removal value offered for our barrels by H&A was better than expected in the open market.
H & A offered us a global financing solution - a return option never implemented before.

What do you like about H&A?

I like the mood that prevails at H&A. They want to take care of our problems.
Beyond their business of financing and removal, there is a positive vision I like. I’m very happy that people like them have a positive impact in Bordeaux.
In the recent months, H&A has launched the diversification channel with the financing of wine equipment. Fieuzal was one of the first vineyards to use electric tractors.
Naturally, we discussed all of our options with H&A and we found a solution a year ago. I'm curious to see how that goes. I like to be at the beginning of the experiment.

How would you describe your relationship with H&A?

I enjoy sharing moments of work with the H&A team. It's an healthy relationship that moves me forward. It should be reproduced more often.