Céline Cholet

Céline Cholet currently works at the Institute of Vine and Wine Science, University of Bordeaux (ISVV - France). Her research focuses on viticulture and the impact of practices, diseases and climate change on the quality of grape berries and wines. After a PhD dedicated to the histo-cytological, histochemical and biochemical characterization of grape berries, Céline completed three post-doctoral degrees (one in French Polynesia and two at the ISVV), respectively dedicated to improving an experimental vineyard and introducing new grape varieties adapted to the conditions of an atoll; evaluating the consequences of control practices against ESCA on grape berries and wine quality; and the link between acidity, harvesting and the aging capacities of wines.

Why did you choose to take part in this summer school?

I chose to take part in this summer school as it was organized by the ISVV and I was particularly intrigued by the topic: Japan is a country that interests me greatly and I was excited to learn more about sake and its production. It was also a challenge since we knew that we were going to be working on both wine and sake, two products that are different yet similar. This allowed us to find common paths to develop future collaborations.

What did you learn from this experience?

I learned a lot about sakeology - what interested me most were the different dimensions from which we approached sake: throughout the week, course content coved it’s economical, historical and chemical aspects. The program was concluded by a wine and sake tasting session. During this session, we benefitted from live explanations on the art of sake tasting, and were able to provide insights on the different wines as well.

Anything else?

In my opinion, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral students should apply for this program without hesitation, as the exchanges are insightful and enriching, and can lead to exciting new projects such as internships of collaborations.