In the picturesque town of La Neuveville on Lake Biel, the Chante Merle vineyard is doing more than just producing award-worthy wines. Run by Barbara and Markus Petrig, this Bernese estate is also a pioneering integration project, where people with and without disabilities work side by side in the vineyard. With a focus on high-quality wines like Chasselas, Pinot Noir, and their signature sparkling Millésime, Chante Merle stands out not just for its steep-slope viticulture, but for its heartfelt mission of inclusion and purpose.
The Chante Merle vineyard is in a prime location in La Neuveville in the canton of Bern. Like many places on Lake Biel, Chasselas and Pinot Noir wines, among others, are pressed here. With 3.5 hectares of vineyards, the estate is neither one of the largest nor one of the smallest. However, something makes the business special: employees with and without disabilities work hand in hand here.
The Chante Merle integration project offers jobs to adults with cognitive disabilities. The estate owners, Barbara and Markus Petrig, are not only winemakers, but also special needs teachers.
Barbara and Markus Petrig took over the winery in 1989. © Chante Merle
The estate was neglected
In 1989, the couple were given the opportunity to take over the vacant estate. Barbara and Markus Petrig wanted to combine their work as winemakers with their social education. After all, the well-structured work involved in viticulture is well suited to people with cognitive disabilities. This is how they came up with the idea of founding a small curative education institution.
It was a long and bureaucratic process before they were able to take in their first residents in 2002. There was also a lot of construction work to be done. ‘When we arrived here, the place was completely neglected,’ says Markus Petrig. What’s more, there were no more vines on the steep plots of land – since it is not possible to work them with machines, the slopes lay fallow from the second half of the 20th century onwards.
Steep vines in a prime location
Today, three men with cognitive and mental disabilities live on the estate alongside Petrig, and two others live outside and work on the estate on a daily basis. The team also includes several temporary staff, some of whom have a pedagogical background – without them, the Chante Merle winery would not be able to function as it does today.
A member of the winery staff. © Chante Merle
The vineyard plots have something in common: they are vines on steep slopes that no one else wanted. ‘We were looking for exactly these kinds of sites, where a lot of manual labour is required,’ says Markus Petrig. This way, the project participants can lend a hand the most.
Every year, the team produces almost 10,000 bottles of wine. Markus Petrig is most proud of the Millésime: this sparkling wine is stored on yeast for three years and fermented in the bottle using the traditional champagne method. He delivers his fine wines to private customers and a few restaurants throughout Switzerland.
They do real work
According to Barbara Petrig, they have succeeded in enabling people with disabilities to participate more fully in a normal daily routine than if they were living and working in a home. They are integrated into the company, identify with the products and make an important contribution. ‘We don’t offer occupational therapy, we offer real work,’ she says.
The Chante Merle team at lunch. © Chante Merle
While her husband is slowly withdrawing from the business due to his age, she is still fully involved. She receives support from their son, who takes care of the bookkeeping, and from their daughter, Anna Petrig. She is a curative teacher with experience in the vineyard. Perhaps she will take over the business one day. But it is not yet time for that. For Barbara Petrig, it is too early to give up the business that is so close to her heart.
Carmen Stalder, Swiss Wine Promotion
Photo Credits: © Chante Merle