I used the title Bordeaux Bio for a blog post back in 2011, how times change, even in Bordeaux!

Almost 10% of Bordeaux vineyards are now certified organic or Bio (Agriculture Biologique). It‘s the most well-known category of environmentally responsible farming. We know what organic means: farming without using artificial or synthesized inputs, herbicides, pesticides, additives or fertilizers. It seems easy to understand but is it a narrow definition of responsible farming? Let‘s look more closely.

The certifications 

AB is the abbreviation for Agriculture Biologique (organic agriculture), used on the label. It is not unique to vineyards. The official pan-European AB label was created in 1985. It ensures that the wine is produced from grapes having received no chemical treatment in the last three years (minimum). Treatments are replaced by natural products, including sulphur and copper – albeit in tightly controlled limits – and natural insecticides and pesticides.

Organic grapes or organic wine? 

Until 2012 winemakers could only use the long-winded term ‘wine made from organic grapes’ (vin issu de raisins cultivés en agriculture biologique). Now, organic wine certification AB covers the cellars as well as the vines. 

In France, the AB label is controlled by the French Ministry of Agriculture and for vineyards by INAO(l’Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité), the same organisation that controls the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlée or Protegée).  

To qualify for the label, the vineyard must be certified by an independent quality control organization; several are accredited by the ministry. The most widely used is Ecocert, but there are also Qualisud (including Agrocert) and Bureau Veritas (ex Qualité France). These certifiers also cover HVE certification. Ecocert also controls the “Biodyvin” label for biodynamic grapes (more in the next post). 

There is a three-year period of transition from conventional or sustainable to organic agriculture. As we’ve seen in the previous post, most producers are already on their sustainable journey before they start the organic certification.

During this transition the vineyard must respect the organic specifications. As of the second year of the process, they can state they are in conversion, accompanied by the logo of the certifier. Once certified, controls are annual.

Labels and logos 

The ‘Eurofeuille’, a green leaf surrounded by the European stars, clearly identifies organic agricultural produce across Europe, and the code of the certification company must be included.  It is compulsory on the label and is often seen next to the AB ‘Agriculture Biologique’ logo, which is optional. They mean the same thing: AB is the French version, it is an older and more familiar visual for French consumers. 

In 2020, 1034 vineyards were certified organic, covering 19,952 ha using the Eurofeuille or AB logo.

Obligations
The European directive for organic agriculture states the objective of ‘creating an inclusive production system, regrouping the best environmental practices to preserve biodiversity and natural resources, using natural substances and processes’. The aim is also to offer a guarantee to consumers whilst protecting the environment and rural development.

The vines receive no synthetic chemical treatments, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides or fertilizers. Nitrogen-based fertilizers are forbidden. This doesn’t mean no treatments at all; synthetic chemical treatments are replaced by natural (or derived from natural) and organic inputs, only sourced outside the property where they are not available on-site or through agricultural practices. Biodynamic inputs are also allowed.

These include copper (see above) and sulphur. Maximal dosage of both products is fixed and closely controlled in grams per ha for copper and in milligrams per litre for sulphur. It can be a sliding scale, in years with a high risk of mildew and other fungal diseases the allowance may be increased. 

GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are forbidden, and the emphasis is on using renewable and local resources. 

Organic production must maintain and replenish soil fertility, avoid environmental contamination, prevent erosion and soil compaction, and encourage biodiversity through the choice of plants, cultivation techniques, recycling and composting vegetative waste and by-products. 

Vegetative growth is encouraged to nourish the soil ecosystem, rather than using soluble fertilizers. Green fertilizer, composting and planting of legumes between rows is encouraged. Red clover is particularly popular, and decorative amongst vines in spring and summer.

The directive also encourages prevention, by protecting the natural predators of pests (biodiversity again) and by selecting varieties that are resistant to disease and pests, encouraging mechanical protection to replace chemical protection. 

In the cellars, the practices and products used are restricted, with low levels of added sulphites. All inputs must be organic, including any detergents or cleaning products.

The consumer has a product that tastes good as well as making them feel good.

Mutual support 

Organic production is more expensive to implement, often with lower yields, so it’s not surprising that producer’s group together for mutual support and promotion as we saw with the SME in the previous post. 

France Vin Bio represents all organic wine producers on the national stage, creating a dialogue with everyone from government to consumer groups and distributors, to promote organic wines nationally and internationally. They are based in Bordeaux but cover the whole of France with six regional associations.

The ‘Vignerons Bio Nouvelle-Aquitaine’ has over 200 members, all certified organic and/or biodynamic winemakers from the Nouvelle Aquitaine region. Created in 1995, their aims echo those in the European directive with the added caveat of ‘respecting ecological balance and farmers’ autonomy’, preserving their own viability as well as that of the environment. 

It also mentions the important factor of wine quality and flavour, an argument many environmentally friendly producers put forward as a justification for their ecolabel and philosophy. The consumer has a product that tastes good as well as making them feel good. They underline the importance of maintaining the community, encouraging job creation and skill development on the land and the protection of everyone’s health: workers, residents and consumers.

Good neighbours 

The average size of a vineyard in Bordeaux is 20 ha with vines surrounding homes, schools and villages. The good neighbour charter obliges all producers, including organic producers, to let their neighbours know (emails to organisations and ‘post its’ on doors!) when and with what they will be treating their vines. There is a safety margin of 50 metres around schools and other institutions where synthetic treatments are forbidden, with school playtimes taken into consideration. An example of the policy is Chateau Pichon Clement in Haut Medoc: they accelerated their planned conversion to organic agriculture once the town announced the construction of a school next to their vines.

Organic history

You could be forgiven for thinking organic viticulture is new to Bordeaux. Think again, i n 1964, the first three French vineyards to be certified organic were in Bordeaux. Vignobles Barron in Graves, Vignoble Boudon and Château Chavrignac, both in the Entre deux Mers. 

Vignobles Boudon now cultivate 25 ha across six AOC, producing 15 different labels: dry and sweet wine, rosé, red and sparkling Bordeaux. It’s a family vineyard with the third generation continuing the passion for organic production. 

Patrick Boudon took over in 1979, and has been instrumental in developing, promoting and militating for organic viticulture ever since. 

The challenge in the 1970s was to convince mainstream media, opinion leaders and buyers that organic wines were also quality wines. In 1997, he was involved in creating ‘Concours Expression Bio des Vignerons Bio d’Aquitaine’, a regional wine competition only open to organic wines. It is still going strong today with over 80 entrants every year. 

In 1999 he was instrumental in creating the Association pour la Promotion de la Viticulture Biologique d’Aquitaine (APVBA), now Vignerons Bio Nouvelle-Aquitaine (see above), an organisation he has presided over twice. 

Patrick now collaborates with the l’IFV (Institut Français de la Vigne), l’ISVV (Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin – Bordeaux University) and the European WILDWINE, who are researching indigenous yeasts and bacteria with the aim of reducing sulphur inputs in wine. True to form in 2015, he launched ‘Chapo’, a red Bordeaux with no added sulphites, followed by the white version in 2018 and a Clairet last year.

Château Guibeau and Château Guibot La Fourvieille  

Certified organic since 2012, the Bourlon family vineyards are on the right bank in Puisseguin Saint-Emilion and Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux. The property has been farmed sustainably since the 1990s and was certified Agriculture Raisonnée (sustainable) in 1993. They started their organic conversion in 2009.

Brigitte Destoutet Bourlon is the fifth generation at the property, managing the estate with her husband Eric. She is passionate about the environment; ‘There is no life without life’ she says and no notion of terroir if the soil is inert. 

Living on the estate and bringing up their three children there, made them particularly sensitive to the environment they were living in. They want to leave a living vineyard with living soils to the next generation. 

They made the progression into organic agriculture with a lot of trial and error, sharing their experiences with friends on their journey. It’s a big property, 45 ha – it’s a challenge not to use any synthetic products. 

‘Now it’s a very different way of working’ she says, ‘it’s more labour intensive, more time spent in the vines’. Time spent observing the vines as well as working them. Not using systemic chemicals is both environmentally and financially sustainable, but it’s more stressful. She says it’s humbling to be so intimately dependent on nature. It’s hard to treat against fungal diseases, it’s preventative treatment, not a cure. In both 2012 and 2018 they lost a lot of crop to mildew. But there’s nothing to be done for frost and hail. 

She hears the argument against using copper and how it builds up in the soil but says the amounts they use are miniscule. Today the upper limit is 4 kg/ha/year. A polluted soil has around 500 mg per kilo of soil. Their soil analysis is around 20 mg per kilo.  

Traditionally vineyards would spray systematically with copper sulphate, whether it was needed or not. She has childhood memories of her father ‘I can remember him coming in, blue from treating the vines’. 

You can still see the occasional old blue stained cement tanks in the vineyards where they prepared the Bordeaux mixture. (I can remember seeing blue vines in damp summers when I first arrived in Bordeaux, something I haven’t seen in a very long time). 

As well as working the soils, they use plant infusions to treat the vines. The older vines had trouble adapting to this new regime, as they had been assisted their whole life through inputs. The new 100% organic vines seem more resistant, more robust.

Certification is expensive and strict, with surprise inspections. It’s time consuming – and not just in the vines, there’s lots of paperwork, not anyone’s favourite pastime! Her clients now ask for organic certification, especially from their Swiss clients. The AB and ‘Eurofeuille’ logos are on the back label. 

Most importantly, she sees a difference in their wines; they are more elegant and balanced with more complexity and minerality. A true expression of the terroir they are trying to protect.

Want to read more? Please sign up here  to receive future blog posts directly to your inbox.To learn more about Bordeaux, buy your copy of Bordeaux Bootcamp here, to learn more about Wine and Wellness, buy your copy of The Drinking Woman’s Diet here.  I look forward to your feedback.

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