Using compost and ploughing the soil allows the vine to develop a deeper root structure.
Taking full advantage of the gifts of nature, while allowing methods of production to evolve, this is the philosophy that guides the efforts of Alsace winegrowers in their vineyards and encourages them to widely adopt new techniques : Using compost and ploughing the soil allows the vine to develop a deeper root structure.
Growing grass between the rows stabilises the soil and reduces topsoil gullying by rainfall.
Increasingly, the use of natural products improves pest control. Careful study of the nature of the soil
permits the most compatible vine variety to be accurately selected. Finally, the date of the harvest can now be adapted to suit the specific characteristics of each individual vineyard. Essentially, vinification methods
aim to strictly respect the rules of safety, hygiene and the environment, notably by the careful disposal of effluents.
Everything is done to preserve
the quality of the grape from start
to finish and to adapt the vinification
methods to the final product :
Whole-grape crushing ;
The use of pneumatic presses ;
Progressive, gentle crushing of the grapes.
Less frequent recourse to enrichment
Rapid vinification and early bottlingfor those wines with
a predominantly fruit character ;
Long vinification, sometimes with
maturation on the lees, for wines
of «terroir» and wines with ageing potential.