Does a goldfish know more about wine than you?
And what has that got to do with organic wine?
Find out below if your attention span is longer than that of a goldfish.
There is something almost hypnotic about the words organic and bio- dynamic. They seem to conjure up images of days gone by when everything was less industrialised, more authentic, and yes, healthier and more environmentally friendly. Indeed there was an interesting article recently in the on-line magazine The Drinks Business in which it was stated that just “under half of British consumers (45%) would be motivated to drink organic wine because the cultivation and production processes are eco-friendly, “
Perhaps it would be more accurate to modify that statement slightly thus …”because they believe the cultivation and production processes are eco-friendly, “ but is that belief well-founded and are organic wines really more ‘green’ than wines that are not so certified? There are certainly many wine makers who would reply with a resounding “No”.
Yes it’s true that organic producers reduce or eliminate their use of herbicides and pesticides, but that is also true of many, perhaps even the majority of wine makers, at least in Champagne which is the area I know best. Regulations about the use of chemical treatments are, quite rightly, getting ever more restrictive so whether a vigneron is organically-minded or not he or she has little choice but to clean up their act.
The big question with organic viticulture is the use of copper sulfate to combat mildew. This is less of a problem in more southerly climates where the drier weather is less conducive to diseases such as mildew, but it becomes a major issue the further north you go. Unable to use chemical (phytosanitary) products to spray their vines to protect against these diseases, the only weapon left at the disposal of organic producers is copper sulfate or ‘bouillie bordelaise’ as it is also known. The problem with this is that organic farmers often have to apply copper sulfate many times and also that copper is a heavy metal that is detrimental to all living organisms and which remains in the soil for decades.
That’s why many vignerons, whilst wanting to be as green as possible, are resolutely opposed to organic viticulture.
So it seems that one should take the words organic and bio-dynamic with a pinch of salt and gather more information before jumping to conclusions.
To help you do just that here - below - is the first in a series of three videos in which Philippe Brun of Champagne Roger Brun presents some of the information you may not yet have heard. Philippe is a real character; he speaks excellent English and feels strongly about what he will present to you. The videos are relatively long in this age where the attention span of a goldfish is longer than that of a human – yes it’s true according to a recent survey by Microsoft http://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/
– but if you really want to learn about wine I think you’ll find them interesting viewing.
Don’t forget to come back for video 2 and video 3
All the best from Champagne
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For those of you who haven’t heard of him, Patrick Dussert-Gerber is a well know wine writer in his native France and author of a highly respected wine guide 
1) Make sure you don’t give up your first job.
The good news is that if you manage to get through all this you too will reap the rewards and, just like Alain, you’ll find that the quality of your wines will begin to be recognised.
If you’ve ever been to Champagne the chances are you noticed the church in Chavot perched on the top of a rise about 3 kilometres south west of Epernay and overlooking the valley of the little River Cubry. The church can be seen from far away and is something of a local landmark.
The vineyards in Chavot-Courcourt are situated in an arc and are west / north-west facing in Courcourt and north / north east facing in Chavot giving rise to a complex variety of soils. Of the 125 hectares just 6 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir and the rest are split roughly equally between Chardonnay and Meunier.
You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of Cuisles, let alone visited it. It’s a little village hidden away in a valley leading off the main valley of the River Marne and despite its château and its long history Cuisles has never been anything more than tiny (mind you there was a period between 1793 and 1851 when the population ‘exploded’ by 63% … from 152 to 248 people) and today there are still only some 150 inhabitants. Despite its size however, Cuisles is well worth a second look.
The 33 hectares of vines, almost all of which are planted with Meunier, are all situated on a single, broad and rather steep, south-facing slope that runs behind the village and looks down on the houses below and on a stream called Le Ruisseau de La Maquerelle which runs into the Marne at Chatillons-sur-Marne a few kilometres away.
Many years ago there were two brick and tile factories in the village which gives a clue as to the nature of the soil. Underneath a covering of top soil is a layer of sand and clay and at about 75cm down there’s a layer that is predominantly argilo-calcaire: a mixture of clay and limestone that drains well but which, unlike the purer chalk soils of many other areas of Champagne, retains very little water underground.
However, what’s unusual about Cuisles and the two or three neighbouring villages is that between the layer of sandy soil near the surface and the chalky-clay lower down there’s a layer of green clay called Illite. This is the same type of clay that is used extensively as a natural ingredient in cosmetics and in beauty treatments.
