Château Belles Filles
It is above all a respectful way of working for the environment, the vines and the wine.
More than organic farming, we work "naturally" !
1/ Since 2011 we no longer use chemical treatments
We respect the charter of commitment for the natural biological control without any pesticide.
We favour phytotherapy over chemotherapy.
Every product we use is authorised for biological control, both in the vineyard and the wine warehouse.
Our treatment program is simple:
-Development of a concept based on companion plants. For example, we have alfalfa and clovers implanted in inter-rows to improve the vines with natural nitrogen, in humus when mowing, and in intelligent water management. We also use bio-indicator plants: each wild plant is a faithful indicator of the environment in which it grows. For example, the dandelion indicate a soil where the amount of organic matter of animal origin is sufficient.
-Production of horsetail, nettle and fern manure for a fungal preventive and insect repellent (cf “we go further”).
- Copper and sulphur in protection, but copper in a "light" form that does not exceed 3 kg of active ingredient per hectare per year (legislation permits double this amount).
2/ Equipments to CE standards.
3/ We are pruning in simple guyot with a maximum of 12 buds on a cane.
Pruning in Guyot is characterized by a pruning technique designed to favour "fruit bearing woods". One to two vine shoots of 6 to 12 buds are kept on the vine.
4/ We spread compost in manure and refuse to use chemical nitrogen on our vines.
5/ We plant grass between every row, each vineyard is planted with alfalfa and/or clover, for their drainage and natural nitrogen enriching properties.
6/ We remove unwanted shoots and weed mechanically.
7/ We abide by treatment schedules excluding treatment dates.
8/ Before harvesting, we select the best bunches and we taste on the vine stocks.
9/ We limit our production to the volume authorised by the decree.
10/ We destem the berries.
11/ We control the fermentation temperatures.
12/ We analyse the musts and have our vinifications followed by an oenological laboratory.
13/ We control vinification inputs:
-GMO-free yeasts
-We only use products recommended by our oenologist.
-We check the cleanliness of the bottling line.
-We control the quality of the corks
14/ We write on each bottle the reference lot number.
15/ We practise waste management:
-We sort and store product waste on the farm.
-Refusal to leave, bury or burn waste in the natural environment.
- We have the necessary administrative authorisations for the treatment of wine effluents.
