The general timeframe of grape growth and wine production is about five or six years. Our aim is to develop a sustainable and environmentally friendly viticulture which produces a raw material that in turn produces remarkable wine. This is achieved by applying the following principles:

Systematic ground cover

The area between the vines is systematically planted with grass where the nature of the soil (depth) permits: this forces the vine to seek its nourishment from a deeper level in the ground. This increases the life of the soil (more earthworms amongst other things), improves the level of humus, reduces the compression of soil when a tractor passes over it and prevents gully erosion on slopes as well as the depletion of nitrogen.

Moderate use of fertiliser

Moderate use of fertiliser between a range of 0 to 50 units, inclusive, of nitrogen/hectare; potash, phosphorous and magnesium only if necessary.

Non-use of products classed as “toxic”

Non-use of products classified as “toxic,” amongst others: no insecticides as much for the health of employees as for the protection of the surrounding fauna. We are even going further as we are starting with a new type of spraying using only ozonated water to fight against the vineyard’s deseases which allow us to litteraly use zero pesticides on the vines.

Low yields

The yield target is an average of 65hl/hectare for the Alsace AOP and 45 hl/hectare for the Grands Crus.

Without the addition of “improvers”

These low yields guarantee a sufficient richness of sugar in the grapes and therefore the wines are not chaptalized[1], which is specified on the label. No oenological “improvers” are added to the wine or the grape juice apart from sulphur dioxide which is itself very strictly measured. This means that the amounts added are often only half the legal amount.

Residual sugar

We do not chaptalize our wines. That is to say that at no time in the process do we add sugar.
The level of residual sugar (grape sugar that has not fermented) is indicated on the label in grams per litre (g/l). A wine with less than 5g/l is considered a dry wine.

Electricity production

We have produced electricity since 2011.
The construction of a “solar shed” with 240m² of solar panels enables us to produce around 40,000 KWh annually; that is to say more than our consumption.

Recycled paper

For the most part the labels are made from recycled paper.

These principles go above and beyond the objectives of the average farmer and are more stringent than the levels set by the IOBC (International Organisation for Biological Control of Noxious Animals and Plants).

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[1] The addition of sugar to the grape prior to fermenting in order to make up for the low sugar content in the grapes.