The principals
Biodynamic viticulture is a method of organic agriculture that regenerates the soils and increases the vitality of the vines so that they produce high quality grapes. It requires to work in harmony with nature and to allow the ecosystem to be more autonomous. Biodynamic agriculture sees the vineyard as a living global entity interconnected where man takes in consideration his surroundings from the birds in the sky to the micro-organisms in the soil.
The role of the winegrower: To respect the rhythms and the weather
Biodynamic agriculture allows the vines to express their full potential. Ripe and living, the biodynamic grapes are the source of Mas Costeplane’s high quality wines.
In the vines, we use biodynamic concoctions made from natural products and medicinal plants (herbal teas, silica, purine, horn dung). These products help our vines with their development and the resistance to disease.
In the cellar, our yeasts, that are naturally present on the grapes, lead the fermentation. The yeasts are from our terroir (our soils), they give our wines character and set us apart from the external and commercial yeasts that can be added in other forms of agriculture.
Following the lunar cycle, we avoid touching the wine during lunar knots and we select the bottling dates so that they sublimate the wines. The inputs during the vinification are extremely limited and controlled, letting all the character of our terroir express itself in the bottle. The work in the cellar demands high precision because a mistake can not be corrected by chemicals devices.
Certifications
Demeter is the international brand for Biodynamic cultures. Created in 1932, Demeter is present in over 50 countries and counts over 300 wineries in France.
All our wines are certified Demeter and organic agriculture. We comply to the extremely strict technical specifications of Demeter. The Demeter Specifications are much more restrictive than the Organic agriculture, reducing our use of copper in the fields by half the amount authorized in organic agriculture, very few oenological additives are allowed, and the sulfur quantities are much more inferior.
Our approach is to live in harmony with the nature that surrounds us. Whenever we can, we look for symbiosis. In spring, the sheep mow the grass between the vines. Our woodlands are maintained by Aneth, Papouille and Hugo, our three donkeys, who’s manure fertilize our hedges. In our vineyards we also use our neighbors horse manure. The wild leeks that grow freely in the fields are a natural repulsive against the cochilys or berry moth.
Another aspect of our approach is Intuition, the intuition that guides our choices. The complexity of nature can not be mastered, but it can sometimes be felt. The vines speak to us, we learn to listen to them. It does not matter if we do not fill the tanks every year. Maybe they need to rest, they give us so much every harvest. In any case, they offer us sincere wines that we are proud to make you taste.