An Earthworm Podcast – Scott Poynton talks with Swiss biodynamic winemaker Pierre Fonjallaz about his vineyard and winemaking practice on the hills beside Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Pierre talks about the motivations to change his approach, his new 5000 year timeline for sustainability, and his discovery how – as he started implementing biodynamic processes – that he began to learn from the land and the plants about other aspects of life.

A more in-depth article about Pierre Fonjallaz – here.

Extract –

Like the chat in the garden, our discussion in the vineyard was full of life. It was a veritable Garden of Eden up there with flowers, grasses and the vines themselves all flourishing. You got a rich sense of life bursting forth from everywhere. The views over the Lavaux, the lake and to the mountains beyond were stunning backdrops. Pierre was in his element among his vines and I had a job to keep my recorder within earshot as he shared his ideas and experiences.

We were able to see and compare Pierre’s neighbours’ vineyards. In most cases, his neighbours were adopting the more traditional approach that sees them napalming the grasses around the vines with herbicide. Nothing grew there and in contrast to Pierre’s verdant boudoir, it looked desolate and lifeless. Another neighbour was only napalming directly under the vines and there was a Mohican-like grass strip between each vine, a type of hybrid approach, step by step.- in full.

Pierre’s website – all in French – http://www.vins-fonjallaz.ch/

More Earthworm Podcasts – http://earthworm.net/cooee/

Address : Pierre Fonjallaz, En Calamin, 1096 Cully, 021 799 16 59

The vineyard of Pierre Fonjallaz covers an area of ​​2.3 hectares. The vines are planted on terraces and are grown biodynamically. They are cared for manually; special attention is given to respecting the plants and soil. The care taken in the vineyard aims to get the best possible quality grapes. The vines are grown in ecologically and environmentally friendly ways. In the cellar, the wines mature naturally. The wines bearing the “Vinatura” label for environmentally controlled production. If all goes well, the bottles of the 2016 vintage will get the bio-Swiss labels, Demeter and Vegan.

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