The roads of Beaujolais No. 2: Jules Chauvet, pioneer of wine tasting and natural wines | David Bessenay, Thibaud Guyon

The objective of the Éditions du 3rd Thursday is to publish, following the model of the Rues de Lyon, and with the agreement of L’Épicerie Séquentielle, a regular comic book (currently biannual) of 12 pages on a character, a place, or a historical event in Beaujolais.

Born from the desire of Éric Martin, an illustrator and graphic designer who has been shining in Beaujolais - and beyond - for several years, the association Les Éditions du 3^rd jeudi, eventually surrounded itself with a trio to successfully carry out its project: David Bessenay (writer), Estelle Tourtillier (proofreader), and Philippe Branche (documentalist), all of whom have become active members of the association.

The name of the association is obviously a direct reference to a key date in the Beaujolais calendar, almost the national celebration of the region: the 3^rd Thursday of November and the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau. And fate would have it that the association was created on a Thursday, now an unchanging meeting day for its members.

This issue 2 (October 2023) addresses the subject of "THE ABUNDANT SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE OF JULES CHAUVET"

Jules Chauvet's work can be classified into three domains: biology, practical oenology, and tasting.

He worked, sometimes in collaboration with Paul Bréchot from the Institut Pasteur, on extremely varied topics: mycoderma cells, fining, acetification, high-temperature winemaking, carbonic maceration, degradation of malic acid, indigenous yeast flora, anaerobic yeast growth.

The Chapellois contributed to professional and scientific journals such as the OIV Bulletin, Cahiers techniques de l'INAO, Vigne et Vin, Enzymiologia, Biochemica, Sciences des aliments; or at events such as oenology symposiums in Bordeaux, technical days for oenologists at the ITV, conferences at INRA and IFV, Mâcon Fair.

Among his most remarkable and foundational texts, we can notably mention The Aroma of Fine Wines (1950) and The Tasting of Wines, its mechanism, its laws (1951).

Eager to share and transmit his knowledge, he welcomed and trained over 40 interns from 1962 to 1988. Research and experimentation were the true passions of his life, even more so than the trading business he led.

Passed away in 1989, Jules Chauvet left behind numerous notes and notebooks that are still awaiting researchers or historians who will inventory them.