Wine Brotherhood
September 21, 2025The Jurade de Saint-Emilion. The harvest proclamation 2025
The Jurade celebrated the Ban des Vendanges on Sunday, September 21st, 2025 and inducted new Ambassadors from around the world. This major annual event brought together more than 500 guests from a total of 27 countries. The Jurade is pleased to showcase the international influence of its Jurisdiction, whose landscapes have been listed by UNESCO since 1999, and of the wines of Saint-Emilion.
In 2025, the Jurats also celebrated the 141st anniversary of the founding of the Saint-Émilion Wine Council. According to tradition, the day of the Ban des Vendanges began with a solemn mass at the Collegiate Church, celebrated by Abbot Rallion and the Archbishop of Malta. During the induction ceremony, some forty new Ambassadors joined the ranks of the Jurade, including Jean-François Lamour, former Olympic fencing champion and former Minister of Youth and Sports, and Barbara Schulz, actress and director.
Nathalie Delattre, Minister Delegate for Tourism, Stephen Montefort, Maltese Ambassador to Great Britain, and Monsignor Charles J. Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta, were also inducted.
8 new members also joined the Jurade this year: Valérie Befve of Château Dassault, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, Frédéric Borderie, Château Les Combes, Lussac Saint-Émilion, Véronique Bourrigaud, Château Champion, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Jean-Raymond Clarenc, Crus et Domaines de France, Felicity Conway, Vice-Chancellor of the Jurade in Great Britain, Gwendeline Lucas, Château La Dominique, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, Nicolas Paludetto, Château Cassat, Puisseguin Saint-Émilion and Ludovic von Neipperg, Châteaux Canon la Gaffelière and La Mondotte, Saint-Émilion Premiers Grands Crus Classés.
After all these inductions, a sumptuous lunch was served to the guests, accompanied by 11 wines from the appellations of Lussac Saint-Émilion, Puisseguin Saint-Émilion, Saint-Émilion, and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.
At the end of the day, the Jurats made their Harvest Proclamation from the top of the Tour du Roy.
After the proclamation, balloons formed into bunches of grapes were released into the sky in honour of deceased Jurats and of the new 2025 vintage.
In the photo, from left to right: : Jean-François Lamour, Barbara Schulz, Nathalie Delattre, Monseigneur Scicluna et Stephen Montefort, Ambassadeur de Malte deviennent Ambassadeurs de la Jurade. – Crédit photo © Guillaume Bonnaud – Le Résistant
