The Wild Women of Orbagna
Maison Maenad is one of the Jura's most exciting and thoughtfully radical new domaines — a project born from the cellar of a Canadian expat who gave up a promising career in Ontario to become, in her own words, "a little vineyard donkey" at one of the world's greatest natural wine estates. Katie Worobeck is originally from Ottawa, Canada, where she earned a Master's degree in International Political Economy at the University of Toronto before a WWOFFing trip through France, Italy, Croatia, and Turkey ignited her passion for farming and wine. Back in Canada, she worked at Norman Hardie Winery in Prince Edward County for four years, rising to assistant winemaker, before a harvest at Bouchard Finlayson in South Africa in 2015 set her sights on France. In 2017, she arrived at Domaine Ganevat — the legendary Jura estate — and spent five transformative years working alongside Jean-François and Anne Ganevat, absorbing their meticulous attention to detail, their generosity, and their vision of natural winemaking as both craft and philosophy. In 2019, she made her first two barrels in the cellar beneath her home in Orbagna — one from hybrid grapes, one from négoce Gamay — and Maison Maenad was born. The name combines "Maison" (home, the place where you share and live with loved ones) with "Maenad" — the wild, ecstatic women who followed Dionysus in Greek mythology. Katie loves the "slightly subversive and subtle feminism" of these women. Today, she farms approximately 4 hectares across two sites: the iconic 'Les Varrons' lieu-dit in the southern Jura, where she took over a parcel of old Chardonnay and rare hybrid vines in 2020, and a breathtaking 3-hectare plot near Grusse — her "dream" parcel — surrounded by forest and planted to all five classic Jura varieties: Chardonnay, Savagnin, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau. Her approach is ecological and detail-oriented: biodynamic farming with a focus on soil health, planting trees and shrubs amongst the vines, and plans to rotate livestock through the parcels. In her gravity-only cellar beneath her home, pressing is done manually, élevage takes place in old barrels of various sizes, and all movement is by gravity. The wines are bottled unfiltered, with no additions — not even sulfur. The result is a range of wines that, even within the context of the Jura, impress with their delicacy, fragrance, and finesse — wines of beauty and integrity that carry something of the magical joy Katie feels being able to practice this craft.
From Ottawa to Orbagna
Katie Worobeck's path to the Jura was unconventional and deeply personal. Born in Ottawa, Canada, she earned a Master's degree in International Political Economy at the University of Toronto — a background in global systems and social justice that would later inform her approach to agriculture. A WWOFFing trip through France, Italy, Croatia, and Turkey ignited her passion for farming, and upon returning to Canada she began working in restaurants in Ottawa while also labouring on an organic farm [^235^][^241^].
Her wine journey began at Norman Hardie Winery in Prince Edward County, Ontario, where she worked for four years and rose to assistant winemaker. A harvest at Bouchard Finlayson in South Africa in 2015 broadened her perspective, but it was a friend's annual visits with a car packed full of natural wine that changed everything. Katie still remembers the first sulfur-free wine she tasted — "completely different than anything we were drinking... it felt emotional in a way I hadn't experienced with wine before." She knew immediately that this was her path [^235^][^241^].
In the winter of 2017, Katie quit her job and went looking for internships in France. By "sheer luck and with the help of good friends," she landed at Domaine Ganevat — the legendary Jura estate run by Jean-François and Anne Ganevat. She spent five formative years there, expanding and honing her palate, understanding the challenges of natural winemaking, practising the agriculture she believes in, and learning the importance of "hospitality, generosity and kindness." When her visa expired, she asked the Ganevats to help her stay — and they did. Orbagna became her home [^235^][^241^].
"I would rather be a little vineyard donkey doing whatever at [Domaine] Ganevat than be the head honcho somewhere making wines that I don't really believe in."
— Katie Worobeck
Les Varrons, Au Carré & The Dream
Katie farms approximately 4 hectares across two distinct sites in the southern Jura. The first is the iconic 'Les Varrons' lieu-dit — one of the most celebrated parcels in the Sud Revermont, where she took over a parcel of old Chardonnay in 2020. The soils here are a striking combination of red clay and limestone — bright red, iron-rich earth mixed with white calcaire. Katie can see variations even within the parcel: one part heavier in calcaire and white clay, another bright red with iron-rich soil. She also tends a small parcel of rare hybrid vines planted by marcottage (layering) on their original roots — "the ugly duckling next to the old Chardonnay" that she has come to love for its unique character [^241^].
The second site is Katie's "dream" — a 3-hectare plot just above Grusse, on the road up to Saint-Laurent-la-Roche. She used to work on the hillside across the valley, staring at this parcel and hoping one day it could be hers. It is incredibly beautiful, surrounded by forest, with veins of marl and limestone throughout. Planted to all five classic Jura varieties — Chardonnay, Savagnin, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau — it is a secluded spot where Katie feels "such peace and joy spending my days." Her long-term plan is to plant trees, shrubs, and other vegetation, and to fence it in to rotate animals through — creating a true ecosystem [^241^].
Katie's approach to farming is ecological and regenerative. She wants to be a "lazy grape grower" — working with nature, not against it. She lets grasses and indigenous plants grow, focusing on soil health and biodiversity. She has begun planting trees and shrubs amongst the vines and hopes to rotate livestock through the parcels. This takes tremendous work and reflection, but she believes in "strength in diversity" — whether species living around the vines or bacteria in the soil. Her goal is to create a super-resilient system [^241^].
One of the most celebrated lieux-dits in the Sud Revermont. Red clay and limestone soils — bright red iron-rich earth mixed with white calcaire. Old Chardonnay vines and a rare parcel of hybrid vines planted by marcottage on original roots. A site that neighbours some of the Jura's most incredible winemakers, giving Katie a community of like-minded vignerons.
A 3-hectare plot just above Grusse, surrounded by forest, with veins of marl and limestone throughout. Planted to all five classic Jura varieties — Chardonnay, Savagnin, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau. Katie's "dream" site, which she used to gaze at from across the valley. Incredibly beautiful, peaceful, and rich in biodiversity.
Katie farms organically with biodynamic principles, focusing on soil health above all. She lets grasses and indigenous plants grow, plants trees and shrubs amongst the vines, and plans to rotate livestock through the parcels. The goal is not just sustainable farming but regenerative — building soil carbon, increasing biodiversity, and creating a resilient ecosystem that can withstand climate change.
A small parcel of rare hybrid vines at Les Varrons, planted by marcottage on their original roots — a diverse selection of very old hybrid varieties. Often overlooked in favour of the classic Chardonnay, these vines have become one of Katie's passions. They produce wines of unique character and historical significance, connecting the estate to the Jura's pre-phylloxera past.
Gravity, Detail & Zero Additions
Katie's cellar is beneath her home in the village of Orbagna — an old cave where she works with great attention to detail and a lightness of touch that pervades everything she does. Pressing is done manually. Élevage takes place in old barrels of various sizes. All movement is done by gravity — no pumps, no mechanical agitation, no forced extraction. The wines are bottled unfiltered, with no additions — not even sulfur [^231^][^241^].
Katie describes her cellar approach as doing "the least amount of actual technical winemaking" while being "extremely detail oriented in any cellar work, cleaning, and movement of the wine." The goal is for the wine to be a reflection of the grapes, the vintage, and the place — not of any stylistic winemaking choices. She hopes to always work without additions but always with integrity, putting her "fullest and best self" into every aspect of the work [^241^].
The result is wines that, even within the context of the Jura — a region already known for natural winemaking — impress with their delicacy, fragrance, and finesse. There is a lightness of touch that pervades Katie's work, a gentleness that comes from patience and respect for the material. These are not wines made to impress with power or extraction; they are wines made to express something true — the love Katie has put into them and the place they come from [^231^].
Beauty, Integrity & Magical Joy
Katie's two greatest hopes for Maison Maenad are simple but profound: "to make something of beauty and to make wines of integrity." She hopes that when you drink her wines, you feel something of her work, the love she has put into them, and of course the place they come from. Her second dream is ecological — to create a vineyard that has ecology at its heart, with grasses sequestering carbon, animals, trees, birds: a true ecosystem. This is not marketing; it is the expression of a worldview shaped by her Master's in International Political Economy, her years on organic farms, her time at Ganevat, and her deep connection to the Jura countryside. The wines are the proof of her philosophy — delicate, fragrant, and hauntingly beautiful expressions of one of France's most exciting terroirs, made by a woman who chose to be a "little vineyard donkey" rather than compromise her vision.
One of the Jura's Brightest Young Talents
In just a handful of vintages, Katie Worobeck has already announced herself as one of the Jura's brightest young talents. Her wines are exported internationally — to the US, UK, and beyond — and served in essential natural wine bars and restaurants. The combination of her rigorous training at Ganevat, her ecological philosophy, and her distinctive feminine perspective gives Maison Maenad a unique position in the Jura's natural wine landscape [^231^][^240^].
What sets Katie apart is her holistic vision. She is not just a winemaker; she is an ecologist, a feminist, and a philosopher of place. Her academic background in political economy informs her understanding of agriculture as a system — one that must be just, sustainable, and regenerative. Her experience at Ganevat gave her technical mastery and an appreciation for hospitality and generosity. And her identity as a woman in a male-dominated rural world gives her work a subtle subversiveness that is reflected in the name Maenad — those wild, ecstatic women who refused to be tamed [^235^][^241^].
The future is focused on expanding her ecological vision — planting more trees, integrating animals, building soil carbon, and creating a vineyard that is not just organic but regenerative. She also dreams of building a wood-fired oven in the vines for pizza parties — a small but telling detail that reveals the joy and community at the heart of her project. As one importer noted, Katie is "already making some of our favourite wines in all of the Jura" — and the best is almost certainly yet to come [^241^].
"In just a handful of vintages Katie Worobeck has already announced herself as one of the Jura's brightest young talents."
— Tutto Wines
The Maison Maenad Range
All wines are farmed organically and biodynamically, hand-harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and bottled without fining, filtration, or any additions — not even sulfur. Pressing is manual, élevage is in old barrels of various sizes, and all movement is by gravity. The range covers all five classic Jura varieties plus Gamay and rare hybrids, with cuvées from Les Varrons and the Grusse parcel. Production is extremely limited, with the estate still in its early years [^231^][^241^].