Conversion to organic production

Domaine de l’Ile des Embiez

Context

  • 10 ha vineyard on an island in the Mediterranean with constraints due to the coastal environment.
  • Growing wine tourism from April to October thanks to an international reputation, that nevertheless requires vigilance and protection of the environment.
  • Decreasing production

Issue to be resolved

  • Under-productive vineyard
  • Conversion to organic

Challenges

  • Increase vineyard production
  • Adapting tools and working methods to the local ecosystem (wildlife and flora) in the context of busy tourism and protecting the environment
  • Give new information to the vineyard, so that it can nourish itself and develop into a balanced ecosystem

Solutions

  • Audit by an agronomist and biologist specialized in plants
  • Recommendation and implementation of a 3 year-plan for organic conversion
  • Draining of soil/restoration of hedges to provide protection against the wind
  • Mixing of green and organic fertilizers

Indicators of success

  • Rehabilitation of the ecosystem
  • Good production in 2017 despite a dry year and major water stress within a context in which European production was generally down by around 40%
  • Some plots over-reacted while others under-reacted in year one, allowing us to map the vineyard’s strengths and develop a tailored solution for the following years.

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