First Grand Crus wine estates have been certified for organic-dynamic winegrowing

Château Guiraud already received the BioViticulture® certification in December 2010. “Biodynamic winegrowing is the starting point for us,” says Xavier Planty, owner of Château Guiraud. “Moreover, we focus on biodiversity, recycling of water, and carbon reduction, our approach includes a global sustainable viticulture.”

Whereas Château Guiraud will put the certification on its back label, Pontet Canet, which was certified as Biodyvin producer in 2006, will not put a designation on the bottles.

“Some Chateaux who claim to practice organic viticulture are often just paying lip service,” says Jean-Michel Come, director of Château Pontet Canet. They simply use such an acknowledgement for marketing reasons. However, biodynamic winegrowing is more than that. It requires investments not just of money, but time, human effort and requires solid philosophical beliefs.”

There are further Grand Crus or Crus Bourgeoix wine estates, such as Château Climens from the Sauternes region or Château Sénéjac from the Medoc region, which are on the verge of being certified as organic-dynamic estates. A total of 59 French wine estates are certified with Biodyvin, including Domaine Leflaive in Burgundy, and Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace. As of late 2010, there were 3,024 companies certified organic with the Agence Bio (AB). (red.yoopress)