After the Champagne Route, the Press Route?
We're not there yet.
However, Fabrice Perron, the president of the Historical Society of Bar-sur-Aube and the Baralbin Country, does not rule out the idea.
In the meantime, with his team, he has embarked on an operation to identify the inactive presses of Bar and the surrounding communities.
“It’s a small heritage but we sometimes come across real gems.
» This morning, in Couvignon, a small town of 200 inhabitants, the historian presents an imposing press which dates back to the 17th century.
You have to go through a gate, opened by the owner of the place, cross a courtyard and enter a barn to discover this equipment from another time.
“It was powered by a horse-drawn carousel.
»
Also read: Race against time to save the oldest Champagne press
Apart from the dust, one might believe that it is still in service, as it is in such good condition.
Sometimes the presses are very damaged.
The wood was attacked by termites or they were dismantled for heating during the war.
Many presses built under the Ancien Régime also disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century, during the French Campaign.
Launched in mid-December, the census has already identified around forty grape presses.
Fabrice Perron keeps the other presses that we presented to him in the back of his mind, but the current file is already large enough.
Its objective is twofold.
On the one hand, he wants to study the evolution of material over the centuries.
Often in the shadow of the Marne, the Côte des Bar, according to some historians, had a lower level of equipment.
Fabrice Perron's first observations tend to dispel this preconceived idea, particularly if we compare it to the Épernay sector.
Nuggets and… ghosts!
Its second objective is therefore to imagine a Press Route in order to boost tourism in the sector.
Provided that the owners give their consent.
Like the nugget of Couvignon, several presses are located on private land.
Having your press registered does not imply any other obligation for the owners.
“We also have a duty to alert,” emphasizes Fabrice Perron.
We seek to raise people's awareness of the richness of this heritage to protect it from the threats weighing on wood.
We can also direct them to renovate them if they wish.
» In his quest, he sometimes goes hunting for... ghosts.
“Several presses were destroyed but traces may remain on the ground or on the walls.
In this case, thanks to the archives, we can find their presence.
It’s a hell of a job!
», laughs the historian.
Also read: This photovoltaic panel project is causing debate in the Champagne vineyards
He had gotten a head start thanks to previous research linked to archives from the 18th to the 20th century.
But the Couvignon press was only discovered a few weeks ago following an appeal on social networks.
Although he is aware that he will not discover inactive presses indefinitely during this year that his census will last, Fabrice Perron is convinced that a few nuggets are still hidden under an old sheet or behind furniture at the back of a barn.
Word of mouth is working at full speed in the sector and Fabrice Perron regularly receives calls to come and evaluate presses.
What if a treasure from the 17th century or even earlier was hidden in this abandoned barn at the bottom of your garden?