“Bees need a flourishing ecosystem to thrive. They could never survive the cocktail of chemicals often used in modern viticulture, hence the global Colony Collapse Disorder that is decimating their population. The health and vigor of the beehives at Chêne Bleu, notwithstanding the delicious natural honey they produce, are a barometer of the success of our efforts to promote natural and biodynamic viticulture on our estate.”
To create an ecologically sustainable vineyard from scratch, through observation we became increasingly convinced we needed a strong bee-oriented ecosystem to protect it. Bees need a flourishing ecosystem to thrive, but vines are considered mainly self-pollinating so until recently their relationship was not fully appreciated.
However, the part of our vineyard near the hives was thriving. Our review of published research led us to new studies showing that, through direct contact in the air, pollinators like bees can boost yields by 30%, as well as help propagate desirable indigenous yeasts.
Even more cutting-edge, we started piecing together research from different fields suggesting that, through their indirect impact on the cover crops and the soil, more bees can help make better wine….
The theory goes like this:
Bring in bees to pollinate the cover crops and wildflowers so they proliferate (most are cross-pollinating and need bees to spread). In turn, cover crops retain soil and replace the need for chemical pesticides: you cut costs, you move away from monoculture, and this helps reduce carbon footprint. The diverse cover crops attract and house helpful micro-organisms in the soil.
These break down minerals and allow them to be absorbed by the vines, which thrive. In doing so, they also transmit the famous taste of terroir, that elusive “sense of place” which contributes to a wine being considered fine. Seemed like a win-win solution to us… All very exciting.
We reached out to our local and international community through winefunding.com to explain our intention of offering our vineyards as a laboratory for scientists to explore the link between the quantity of happy bees and the quality of fine wine.
The crowdfunding was enthusiastically oversubscribed. This vote of confidence was very touching. Our research with top scientists is underway and we are now connecting to other wineries around the world who share our interest.
You can read further information on our SustainaBEElity bleug above. and about our crowdfunding initiative.
We also run SustainaBEElity tours at the vineyard and if you’re a winemaker wishing to collaborate on this exciting project, please get in touch! We’d love to hear from you!
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
