THE VINE WORK


The soil is the primary preoccupation in organic farming.

Focus is placed on the use of “green” fertilizers, hard work, compost, and allowance of undergrowth in the vineyard.

These practices stimulate life in the soil, providing wine with the ultimate expression of terroir, for the drinking pleasure of the wine loving community.

The specific techniques required for organic farming usually lead winegrowers to employ more workers per hectare. This is necessary to ensure the quality of the exacting work, that must be done under the best sanitary conditions for the optimal maturity of the grapes.

Vine growth is conducted and adapted according to imperitives defined by regulatory guidelines set down by the A.O.C. Champagne. Priority is given to the harmonious development of the vegetation.

Good pruning is primordial, as it is the base upon which the quality of all other techniques depends (tethering, budding, trellising.) This work is done manually and adapted to each grape variety.

To protect the vines from pests, the organic grower can use several means : natural predators and natural minerals like sulfur, friendly bacteria, medicinal plants…

To combat against mildew, copper salts are used in small doses, limited to 30 kg of metal per hectare over a period of 5 years, about 6 kg per year on average. Often however, in reality, less than this average maximum allowance is applied.

Harvests must to be done manually so that the grapes arrive intact to the wine-press. This is the case for all champagne producers.


Click here to download the document "Réglementation Viticulture AB de Bio en Grand Est".