i. Biography
Elsa Picard leads winemaking at La Tour Melas in Achinos, Greece, where Technical Director and Head Winemaker are not separate titles so much as a single mandate over method. An oenologist from Southern France, she has built her career in the disciplined, intimate work of the cellar, with the estate itself as the central line of practice. The work here is about texture, timing, and exactitude; the effect is measured in the glass before it is ever discussed in the cellar.
The Path
The first formal step in Elsa Picard’s career was an oenologist role at Château Le Bouïs in Corbières, Languedoc, France (2007–2008). That early period established the practical foundations of her approach, with vineyard and cellar work shaping an attention to precision and place. Her career has stayed close to the realities of winemaking, where judgment is exercised in small details and character is assembled gradually, step by step. At La Tour Melas, Elsa Picard now holds the roles of Technical Director, Head Winemaker and oenologist, and that combination places her work at the center of the estate’s style.
The Work Today
At La Tour Melas in Achinos, Elsa Picard works in the overlapping space of technical direction, head winemaking and oenology. That concentration keeps the decision-making close to the wine itself: one estate, one standard, one relationship between method and expression. The role is practical rather than decorative, and her expertise is embedded in the daily running of the cellar and the estate’s technical choices.
Career - Technical Director and Head Winemaker — La Tour Melas, Achinos, Greece - Oenologist — La Tour Melas, Achinos, Greece - Oenologist — Château Le Bouïs, Corbières, Languedoc, France (2007–2008)
Signature
Cyrus One and Idylle D'Achinos are the wines most closely tied to Elsa Picard’s name. They sit at the center of her reputation and mark the cellar in a way that is the estate’s identity. In that sense, they function as the clearest evidence of her approach: controlled, attentive, and grounded in the place she helps define.
In Their Words “An aged Xinomavro is one of my favorites, or a Cycladic Mavrotragano. For a white variety, although it is a bit banal, I lean toward Assyrtiko for the complexity it can have.”
Acclaim
The preference Elsa Picard names points to a palate drawn to layered expression and structural interest. “An aged Xinomavro is one of my favorites, or a Cycladic Mavrotragano. For a white variety, although it is a bit banal, I lean toward Assyrtiko for the complexity it can have.”
FAQ What is Elsa Picard's current role? As of 2026, Elsa Picard is Technical Director and Head Winemaker. Where did Elsa Picard work before? Elsa Picard's earlier career included Château Le Bouïs. What is Elsa Picard known for? Wine making at La Tour Melas.
