Perrier-Jouët combines art and biodiversity in Ambonnay vineyard

Maison Perrier-Jouët has collaborated with renowned art studio Formafantasma on a new ecological installation.

Maison Perrier-Jouët has unveiled Cohabitare, a project two years in the making that was conceived by the research-based design studio of Formafantasma, and that is rooted in the house’s vineyard.

Drawing inspiration from Maison Perrier-Jouët’s experimental regenerative viticulture programme, Cohabitare is intended to serve as a living manifesto of an environmental vision, uniting art, wine and the natural world through a holistic approach.

“Spurred by its heritage, Maison Perrier-Jouët encourages us to reflect the complexity of the living world and to rediscover the importance of the environmental interconnectedness between species in order to better inhabit our world,” comments Maison Perrier-Jouët’s culture and creative director, Caroline Bianco. “The project created by Formafantasma within the Perrier-Jouët vineyard allows us to root our discourse in our own terroir, in the natural environment of the Champagne region, where it all begins.”

The first part of the project is the Îlot de Biodiversité (Biodiversity Island), which is constructed of 74 posts made from terracotta modules, and finished with an iron oxide glaze, covering a space of 285sq m of the Les Agusons plot in Ambonnay. The bright colours don’t just make it look pretty, but research shows that they should help to attract a variety of animals, from insects to birds and bats. The modules themselves also have openings to provide a home for smaller creatures, and indigenous plants are being grown in the space too. Far from being a static art installation, the intention is for the Îlot de Biodiversité to evolve over time, serving as a reminder that nature and agriculture can coexist.

Celebrating nature

The wellbeing of nature is something that Perrier-Jouët takes very seriously. The flowers which adorn its Champagne bottles are not just an art nouveau flourish, but an indication that the house is, as Bianco says, part of the “living world”.

The Îlot de Biodiversité is surrounded by plots that are being managed regeneratively, an initiative the house started in 2021 and which now extends to 28 hectares, an area equal to more than 40% of Perrier-Jouët’s vineyard today. The objective is to make 100% of the vineyard regenerative by 2030.

In order to assess how effective the project is at enriching the local ecosystem, Perrier-Jouët is partnering with Paris’ Natural History Museum on a study which will establish biodiversity indicators both for Cohabitare and the regeneratively-farmed vineyards.

To find out more, visit: perrier-jouet.com