We often ask our guests to have a look around them when we drive through the vineyards. We may stop and ask them to tell us the difference between one parcel and another. What’s different between them?
The vines are older, there are lots of gaps, the vines are close to the ground, one is tidier than another. These are some of the responses we typically get. But rarely do people look at the soil, the earth that nurtures the vines above.
In fact, it’s easy to see, especially at this time of year when there is little foliage on the vines. You just need to look down!
The soil, that ground in which the vines are planted, holds the answer. Just look at the two pictures below, one is of a non-organic vineyard and one is of an organic vineyard. Which one is which? It’s easy to see. The organic vineyard is full of life. The soil is free and there are plants, wild flowers and weeds pushing.
The non organic vineyard has used chemicals to suppress the weeds and there is a thin strip of grass left between the rows. The soil is compact and eroded. I know which one I want my wine to come from.
Those vineyards that might seem a bit messy to the outsider are full of life and energy.
