Stacked systems to improve our ecosystem
Regenerative Organic Farming
Twelve hectares on the Dordogne, farmed as one living system: vines, orchard, garden, wildlife and people.
01 / The principle
One place. Many lives.
Wine is the main crop. It is not the whole story.
Shuette is a 12-hectare working regenerative organic farm on the banks of the Dordogne. We chose it because serious vineyard terroir and room for a wider farm still coexist here.
The vineyard, orchard, garden, animals and wild borders are managed as one connected system, not 5.5 hectares of vines surrounded by scenery.
Organic is the baseline. Regenerative farming means leaving the place with more life, diversity and resilience than we found: planting, protecting habitat, adding polyculture and making space for wild species.
02 / The working farm
Nothing here has only one job.
Diversity is not decoration. It gives the farm more crops, more habitat and more ways to remain useful through a changing season.
01
The orchard
More than 350 fruit trees run through and around the vineyard. They give us fruit for cider, Ume Shu, preserves and ferments, while adding blossom, shade and habitat to the farm.
02
The garden
A working kitchen garden grows vegetables, herbs and chillies, pulling the farm back toward Ian’s first language: food. What is ready now matters more than a fixed recipe.
03
The animals
Free-range chickens, ducks and geese bring movement, manure and noise. Beehives connect the farm to the flowering landscape well beyond the vineyard rows.
04
The Wildlife
Wide borders, hedgerows and a corridor used by deer, wild boar and rabbits keep habitat inside the farm, not somewhere beyond its fence.
03 / What the farm gives us
Farm first. Product second.
Not every crop becomes wine. Orchard fruit becomes cider, Ume Shu, preserves and ferments. Pressed juice from winemaking becomes brandy.
Some projects are tiny, seasonal and may happen once. That is the point. Atelier is where those experiments live: limited releases shaped by what the farm gives us rather than a production calendar.
04 / The people behind the place
Five people. One farm.
Shuette is shaped by different backgrounds, different skills and the same practical question: what does the farm need next?
Winemaker at Château Shuette.
Ian Hocking
I want to make truly modern Bordeaux wine. I am not driven by a desire to make a particular style or to replicate a previous wine. I want to match what has grown with a style that intrigues me and allows the fruit’s natural beauty to shine.
I believe that natural winemaking is the only way to unlock a wine's individuality and potential. An alive, evolving, dynamic wine is the true expression of terroir.
Ian jointly owns Château Shuette with his wife Shu Min Ho.
Co-owner at Château Shuette.
Shu Min Ho
I am a lawyer by profession and a foodie at heart.
Shuette is the realisation of a dream shared with my husband, Ian, to craft exceptional wine and produce that respect and reflect the land we call home. Our vision is also shaped by modern, forward-thinking philosophies that are inspired by the cultures and experiences we have gathered from living and traveling around the world.
Watching our vineyard and farm grow has been an incredibly exciting and fulfilling journey. I couldn’t be prouder of the wines we have created so far, and I am so thrilled to share them with all of you.
The team
The work between the seasons.
Vineyard Director
Damien Menzato
Leads the year-round work in the vines, from cultivation and plant health to the thousand practical decisions that shape each harvest.
Sales & Marketing Manager
Marina Yam
Connects Shuette with importers, restaurants and drinkers around the world, while keeping releases, trade and shipments moving.
Apprentice
Émilie Petit
Works across the vineyard and cellar, learning the farm through the seasons and contributing her passion across all our projects.
05 / Come over
Come see a working farm.
The best way to understand Shuette is to walk it. Meet us here, follow the vines to the cellar and taste what the season became.
