Principes sur la culture de la vigne en cordons
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CHF 402.00
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One hand-colored illustration for a snapshot into the vineyard of the future: cordons, trellises and pruning
Clerc, M.
Principes sur la culture de la vigne en cordons
Sur la conduite des treilles et la manière de faire le vin.
1825, Chatillon-sur-Seine, Charles Cornillac
CHF 402.00
Sale price
CHF 402.00
Regular price
Overview
In 8vo. Pp. [3], 81, [1]
Published in the heart of Burgundy's Côte-d'Or, this early French treatise belongs to the generation of practical manuals that transformed viticulture from inherited custom into a system of observation, economy, and reproducible technique. Identified on the title page only as "M. Clerc," the author presents himself as a reformer of vineyard practice, arguing that higher yields and lower cultivation costs could be achieved through disciplined pruning rather than greater labor or larger plantings. His cordon system is conceived a portable method, beyond regional practices: the vine is reduced to a carefully ordered structure whose trunk, permanent arms, renewal wood, and trellising can be replicated from one vineyard to another. Long before cordon training became standard across much of the wine-growing world, Clerc offered one of its earliest self-contained expositions, extending from the architecture of the vineyard to the cellar practices that completed the system.
Inside the book
The book opens with a finely hand-colored engraved plate in front of the title page, and it depicts a vine-grower training a cordon vine against stakes; the lettered keys identify each structural element of the vine, including the souche, mère-branche, allonge, and souchet à ravaler. The small treatise proceed to unfold over eleven chapters. Following a historical introduction that traces viticulture from Asia through Caesar's Gallic campaigns, Domitian's prohibitions, and the revival under Probus, it begins with the principles of planting before establishing the technical vocabulary of the cordon itself: souche, mères-branches, allonge, souchets, pousses-de-souchets, and remplaçant. Clerc then treats pruning, treillage, tying (accolage), debudding (ébourgeonnement), renewal of fruiting wood, general vineyard maintenance, wall-trained trellises, and the practical advantages of the cordon system, concluding with a chapter on la manière de faire le vin. The winemaking section recommends fermentation vessels broader at the base than at the mouth and provides directions for treading, pressing, and managing the must.
Condition
Original contemporary paper wrappers (showing signs of age) with hand-written title by a contemporary hand. Red paper spine with a manuscript label. Original stabbing threads preserved, but exposed at the inner hinge. Scattered light foxing; light watermark at the final 20 pages. The hand-colored plate is fresh and well preserved. The final leaf is pasted to the inner rear wrapper. A charming complete copy.
Dimensions (inches): 7 3/4 x 5 1/4 x 1/4
Why La Fenice likes it
Long before cordon training became standard, Clerc was already sketching out the vineyard of the future. Yet what truly won us over is this copy itself: the charming original wrappers with their contemporary handwriting and the beautifully hand-colored frontispiece, turning a practical pruning manual into a deeply personal survivor.
About the author
M. Clerc, vine-grower or agronomist of Châtillon-sur-Seine in the Côte-d'Or, active around 1825.
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