There is something quietly radical about leaving a career as a sommelier in Holland, packing a bag and a dog named Boaz, and moving to the Loire Valley to learn winemaking from scratch. That is exactly what Lisanne van Son did in 2017, and the wines she now produces under the Sonshine Vins label are a direct expression of that same restless, joyful conviction.
From Sommelier to Vigneron
Lisanne grew up in the Netherlands and built a career in wine service across Holland, the UK, and Belgium before her passion for the vine pulled her toward production. In 2013 she made her first trip to the Loire, where she began working with Noella Morantin in Montlouis, learning the rhythms of the vineyard and cellar firsthand. She later trained at Bertrand Jousset's domaine and with Tony Bainbridge in Anjou, absorbing the low-intervention ethos that defines the Loire natural wine scene. By 2017 she completed formal studies in Amboise, and by 2018 was producing small lots from a troglodyte cave in Noizay.
Domaine des Sonnettes, Bugey
Together with her partner Edouard, Lisanne has since established Domaine des Sonnettes, a 4-hectare property in Jujurieux, in the Bugey region of eastern France near the Jura foothills. The vineyards are farmed organically, and all Sonshine wines are now made there. The shift from negociant to estate work marks a new chapter, one defined by deep rootedness in a single place.
The Wines
Sonshine Vins wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, receive no added chemicals or fining agents, and are bottled with minimal or no sulfur. Lisanne works with varieties including Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, producing wines that are aromatic and alive, with a freshness that reflects both the cool Bugey climate and a winemaker who has never stopped learning. The Sonshine ethos is one of honesty: good grapes, careful hands, and nothing to hide.
