Gaillard, Chateau, MONTEAUX, Val de loire : biodynamie, vin bio, vin biologique, Loir-et-Cher, Centre

A reconversion which is in constant progression.

Since ten years, the number of fields practising a reconversion in biodynamic agriculture keeps increasing. The major part of the Member from Byodivin�s trade union took the direction towards this type of growing in the nineties with a strong increase since 1995.

A tendency ? A flow ? No, a real awakening for those for love their ground.

The current agriculture, marked by the race with a so-called profitability and the research of an increasingly important productivity, proves to be a large consumer of dangerous substances for fauna and the flora. The use of weeding chemicals, insecticides, acaroids, systemic products (penetrating in the circulatory system of the plant) completely destroys the balance of the ground and the environment. By killing the insects, one also removes their predatory natural.
With weeding, the grounds die and are packed, the roots then remain on the surface making the plant more sensitive, among other thing, with the climatic phenomena and insulator of its soil.
Manures resulting from the chemistry of synthesis contribute to the salinity of the grounds, sterilize them and induce strengths and a level of production which goes against quality. Moreover, these substances pollute the ground water...
The vine growers which follow biodynamic growing made this choice because they understood that the use of all these products would end up by unbalancing the ecosystem of their vineyard and by attacking the fertility of their ground. They are no more seen as extraterrestrial these �peasants� who were the first to refuse to maltreat their ground. Soon, one will cease thinking that they are marginal, because we can note that results are there.

Biodynamic growing goes further

Among the «bio» practices, the biodynamic one is made conspicuous by a catch in consideration of the astral influences and rate/rhythm of nature, and by the use of vegetable preparations of homeopathic type aiming to rebalance and to revitalize the plant more than to look after it in the event of disease.
Offered in 1924 because of concerns coming from farmers who saw their ground in danger, the biodynamic agriculture is a method of growing which goes much further than the fact of excluding employment of chemicals from synthesis.
Its principles were defined in 1924 by Rudolf STEINER. It could be summarized summarily in the three following points :

- the valorisation of the ground and the plant in its natural environment thanks to preparations resulting from vegetable, animal and mineral matters;
- the application of these preparations to precise moments in the cycle of the year: it is the dynamic part. It recognizes in the ground, catch in the broad sense (bed rock, arable land, air environment) an organization with whole share. Thus, it acts as a doctor who would choose, to look after his patients, of the specific treatments implementing forces of life;
- the work of the ground by ploughings and two-prong crimping.

This care supports:
- improvement of the quality of the ground by the presence of a large variety of bacteria;
- a better rooting of the plant, with denser roots, more lengthened ;
- a better development of the sheets and flowers by the contribution of energy necessary to a harmonious fructification.

Biodynamie in vine growing

The wine field is like any other agricultural field. It is regarded as a living organism. The cultivated ground is not a simple support for the vine but a medium of life, source of energy for the plant just like its air environment.
Thus the vine - median organization - creates and nourishes its soil in this inhabited and alive medium which surrounds the root. The exchanges between the biology of the ground, its system racinaire and foliar allow the expression of the soil in the grapes.
The savours are sublimated by it. The practice in vine growing must be very worked out to compensate the risk of imbalance of this monoculture.

Preparations in biodynamie

They come from vegetable, animal matters and mineral transforms:
- the compost of MT dung supports and reinforces the process of decomposition of the ground. It contains all the elements which contribute to the formation of the argilo-humic complex. One finds there a number and a variety of considerable bacteria.
- Preparation 500, dung of horn, acts on the plant. It reinforces the underground life. Its effectiveness is confirmed after many tests: the roots are lengthened, denser, distributed better.
- Preparation 501, silica of horn development assistance of the sheets, to the balance of the flower and energy necessary to good and beautiful fructification.

These three first must pass by stimulation before spreading.
The other preparations, elaborate from achillea, of camomile, nettle, bark of oak, dandelion and valerian, underwent all of the transformations - fermentations in the presence of animal bodies for some - raising their properties first by transforming them into humus with particular qualities. These last are essential, they are used for sowing of the composts in order to direct of them fermentations for the balance and the harmony of the ground and the plant.

Terrestrial and lunar Rhythms

The solar rhythms, composed by the day, the lunar night or seasons and rates/rhythms are familiar to us. For 10 years, the experiments carried out by Maria THUN have made it possible to note the cosmic influences on the growth of the plants. Those seem related to the moon positions, the sun and planets compared to the constellations.
A calendar, related to its observations, was developed. Work and treatments of the vine can be magnified by the choice of the dates of intervention. But, since thousands of years, any good farmer takes inot account the solar and lunar rates/rhythms!

Hoeing for biodynamie

It supports the installation of the processes of life by working the ground at different times in the year, the month or the day. Thus, a hoeing lunar spring will have another quality that a hoeing in lunar autumn. A hoeing the morning will vitalize the plant, a hoeing the afternoon will keep water in the ground... It is the vine grower who decides hoeing and ploughings according to his ground.

Other BIO treatments

If balance is reached, the plant will defend itself or rather, it will not call the parasite for help (cryptogams, insects or mites). However, one will have sometimes to intervene to help the plant with herb teas, decoctions or homeopathic dilutions of plants and, if necessary, natural products like the pulp of Bordeaux and the sulphur flower.
The goal of the «dynamic vine grower bio», through its specific culture of the vine, is to produce a high quality wine with its particular characteristics resulting from the single elements which form the soil of each field. The wine will be the expression bus thus qualities and the characteristics of this soil will be respected.
So much of these authentic and signed wines are presented like references, it is because the men who give birth to them are animated of talent and passion.

Wine making

Biodynamic growing allows life and yeasts to develop on the skin of the grape. The more there are indigenous varieties of yeasts, the more typified will be the wine. It is thus not necessary to introduce foreign yeasts which direct the flavours and end up standardizing the wines.
The same applies with the use of the oenological products aiming at modifying the initial balance of the grape (chaptalization, acidification/desacidification, enzymes, adhesives, nitrogen�), obtained starting from climatology and of a precise soil. The vine grower in bio-dynamic will do everything to obtain balanced grapes, allowing him to avoid the use of such products.
The use of sulphur dioxide (SO2) remains discussed. If obtaining a wine without SO2 remains a creditable objective, we notice that there is no credible alternative to a moderate use. The schedule of conditions in wine making bio envisages a fall from approximately 50% of the allowed maximum amounts by the European law.
Additives and conservatives are not necessary since the raw material is neat and of good quality.
 

A few questions that you may ask yourself about biodynamic agriculture

How does one recognize a vine cultivated in biodynamic?

This small greenery which pushes naturally between the rows develops between two ploughings or hoeing with animals� presence, of ground worms and with a great biological activity of the grounds. The organic matter «is digested» by the life of the ground and one notice much less sheets or old vine shoots on the grounds. The grounds are tender and not packed, the lumps of earth break while letting appear a friable structure.
The vines are in general less vigorous, of colour less sunk with sheets and apexes directed towards the sunlight.

How does one recognize a wine which is «bio«?

The wine «bio« does not exist. One finds on the French market only wines «resulting from grapes coming from organic agriculture«. This subtlety is due to the absence of schedule of conditions officially recognized concerning the process of transformation into wine of the grapes resulting from organic culture or biodynamic. In other countries where the legislation is less strict, as in the United States, the wine bottles proudly raise the mention «organic wine« (bio wine). The French cannot do such a thing on their premises, but nothing prevents them from using the mention «organic wine« for the bottles intended for these markets where the « organic« denomination is less strict.

Which are the rules to respect to be able to affix the AB mention (Bio Agriculture which is a French eco-label) on the bottles?

The wines resulting from organic agriculture are marked on their label: Controlled by Ecocert, France Quality.
The output norms in organic agriculture are established by a European law (the EEC 2092/91) of June 24, 1991 which imposes:
- to cultivate the vines without chemicals of synthesis;
- to be certified by an approved organization;
- to have notified its activity at the Departmental Management of Agriculture and the Forest;
- to implement the rules of organic agriculture during three campaigns before being able to assert on labelling the mention «wine resulting from grapes of organic agriculture ".
Certain vine growers do not announce on their label that the wine results from organic agriculture or biodynamic, because it acts for them of a normal step forming integral part of their way of life and prefer to communicate on their soils rather than on the type of culture.

What are the rules to respect to be able to affix the Biodyvin label on labels ?

The SIVCBD requires that the vine grower member be certified AB for the whole field, and also cultivate the whole of their property in biodynamie. The SIVCBD provides a schedule of conditions at an independent organization ECOCERT which carries out an annual control on each field. According to the report/ratio of control, the SIVCBD delivers label BIODYVIN.

Biodyvin

Calendar of semis

Certificates et licences