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Denis Dubourdieu (July 1, 1949 – July 26, 2016) was a French winemaker and professor of 
Dubourdieu specialized in winemaking processes for white wines, and has been called "wine's most famous scientist". He played a leading role in the improvement of white Bordeaux wines, which as late as the 1960s were sweet and of low quality, to become "serious, potentially profound dry whites". Innovations proposed by Dubourdieu include organic farming, oak barrel fermentation with extended skin contact and improved bottling techniques.
oenology
Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...
at the University of Bordeaux. He managed or co-managed several properties in Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, including Château Reynon, Château Doisy Daëne
Château Doisy Daëne is Bordeaux wine producer located in the commune of Barsac. Its sweet white wine ranked as Second Cru Classé (French, “Second Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. It belongs to the ...
, Château Cantegril, Château Haura, and Clos Floridène. He also consulted at Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc (French for "White Horse Castle"), is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. Its wine received the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Émi ...
.
As part of his academic responsibilities, Dubourdieu was the director of ''l'Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin de l'Université de Bordeaux'' (English: Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences of the University of Bordeaux). The Institute is a multi-disciplinary research center where experts from the University of Bordeaux, l'Institut National de la Recherche
Agronomique (English: The National Institute of Agronomic Research) and l' Ecole Nationale des Ingénieurs des travaux agricoles (English: The National School of Engineers of Agricultural Work) work together to assist wine producers with the state of the art in technology, technique and economic modeling.
Dubourdieu specialized in winemaking processes for white wines, and has been called "wine's most famous scientist". He played a leading role in the improvement of white Bordeaux wines, which as late as the 1960s were sweet and of low quality, to become "serious, potentially profound dry whites". Innovations proposed by Dubourdieu include organic farming, oak barrel fermentation with extended skin contact and improved bottling techniques.
Personal life
Denis was married to Florence Dubourdieu, and his sons Jean-Jacques and Fabrice both helped to run the family domaines. His father and grandfather were winemakers, specializing in white wines. He died on 26 July 2016 in Bordeaux ofbrain cancer
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...
at the age of 67.
References
1949 births 2016 deaths French winemakers Academic staff of the University of Bordeaux Deaths from brain cancer in France {{france-academic-bio-stub