More and more wine drinkers are getting interested in viticulture … are the vineyards treated responsibly according to modern and healthy standards? And are they certified bio … organic or biodynamic?
Some vignerons are very careful and caring when working with the vineyards … others are downright pigs, spraying with Roundup in the vineyards, leaving a desert of yellow and dead grass.
Knowing the structure of the Burgundian vineyards… small plots side by side … it is a disgrace that non-bio viticulture has not been forbidden in Burgundy – to say it bluntly.
Let’s face it … even bio vignerons spray with copper sulfate and can use a quite hefty dose of sulphur… so the bio producers are much more responsible…. but to say they are spraying free … it is not the full truth…
Even the biodynamic vignerons are allowed some spraying and the use of sulphur… so just for the record… the bio vineyards are much better … they are not perfect.
It is, however, of increasing interest to see and follow who is bio and who is not!
What is Bio Bourgogne
In English, Bio Bourgogne translates to Organic Burgundy, referring to organic farming and wine production in the Burgundy region of France.
What “Bio” Means
- Bio is short for biologique, the French word for organic.
- In farming and winemaking, it means growing crops without synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or GMOs.
Check other sources for the actual definition of Bio and Biodynamics …
Mapping the Bio producers
L’Agence Bio makes maps and offers useful info about the bio vineyards. Maps are made down to cadastral plots … so very detailed … so you can see the viticultural status of each plot in France.
The maps de l’Agence Bio can be found here
In my world, Nuits-Saint-Georges, there are quite a few non-bio vignerons sadly … let’s face it – NSG is not at the forefront of Biodynamics.
Comparing areas
One of the things one can do is to compare the share of certified growers … below we see two neighbouring areas – Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Échezeaux.
There is a big difference between these two areas …
Vosne-Romanée
Flagey-Echezeax
Check this out … it is very important these days, as bio grapes are 20% more expensive than normal uncertified grapes!
It is a question of tradition … and one could hope that the vignerons of Flagey-Echezeaux will learn from the collegues in Vosne.
- A true vin d’émotion – a Burgundy of passion
- A truly hedonistic wine – lively and enjoyable
- A vivacious wine for pure indulgance
- A potential vin d´émotion - frais et léger