The French scientist and university professor Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon (1930-2011) came from a family of oenologists. His grandfather Ulysse Ribéreau-Gayon worked as an assistant to Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) in the 1880s, and his father Jean Ribéreau-Gayon, along with Émile Peynaud (1912-2004), is considered the founder of modern oenology at the University of Bordeaux. Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon carried out groundbreaking research on anthocyanins or phenols in general in grapes, various cellar techniques, especially the processes of alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, as well as on the qualitative difference between hybrids and Vitis vinifera vines, all of which contributed to improving the quality of wines worldwide. He also developed a very simple method for analysing malic acid in wine.
Besides teaching at the Faculty of Oenology in Bordeaux, he was also extensively active as an author of numerous books and treatises on oenology. His best-known works include "L'oenologie à Bordeaux - de Louis Pasteur à nos jours" and the two-volume "Handbook of Enology" with other authors. He held numerous positions, such as member of the Institute for Appellations of Origin, President of the Commission for Enology in the OIV and member of the Academy of Agriculture. He also worked as a consultant, among others for the wine estates Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte and Domaine de Chevalier. He received numerous honours for his services, among others he was appointed officer in the Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour) in 1995. His students included his successor as head of the Faculty of Enology Denis Dubourdieu (*1949) and the well-known flying winemaker Michel Rolland (*1947).
