To address the challenges of climate change, regenerative viticulture is establishing itself as a sustainable alternative. Hinging on the soil, tree and water triangle, it aims to recreate a more resilient and productive ecosystem.
Contents:
- The soil as the model’s core focal point
- Animals and plants
- Regenerative hydrology
- A holistic approach
The soil as the model’s core focal point
If you’re looking for a definition or a single official endorsement you won’t find one. Regenerative viticulture has neither, even though certifications aimed at providing a framework and promoting the practices it embraces are emerging. Foremost among these is the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) programme created in 2017 by the Regenerative Organic Alliance in the United States. “Winegrowers interested in the approach take the view that healthy soils produce resistant vines and better quality wines”, explains consultant viticulturist and winemaker Alain Malard (Permavinea), an agro-ecology educator and author. In a bid to restore the qualities in the soil that have been either deteriorated or lost, some producers start by introducing compost, biochar and cover crops. “Sowing grass on soils that have been compacted by tractor passes and harvesting machines, however, is counterproductive”, believes Malard, who stresses the need to break up compact soils beforehand “to allow the roots to go down, the earthworms to come up and water to filter through”.
Animals and plants
Fertilising and aerating the soil also involve introducing animals, and not just sheep or chickens. “Wild fauna also plays a part in organic soil enrichment and sows tomorrow’s grass. Provided, that is, you give careful consideration to the choice of cover crops because birds and rodents do not find rye or vetch very appetising”, points out Malard. Although revitalised soils provide better storage capacity for the water vines need, the choice of resistant plant material also has to be factored into the equation. Malard mentions longer rootstock in future plantings or replacements which guarantee deeper roots, thereby helping vines to improve water and nutrient management. The next consideration is making changes to slow runoff, improve distribution and infiltration and harvest rainwater at block, winery and watershed level. Techniques that can be used include drainage channels, ponds, tiered trenches and even keyline design, a full-fledged strategy for spatially managing water resources.
Regenerative hydrology
“Drainage channels are particularly suitable for planting trees or shrubs in the form of hedges which create a beneficial micro-climate, combat erosion, promote biodiversity, sequester carbon, and recreate the natural water cycle both towards the atmosphere and the soil”, explains Malard. To put it simply, plants literally make it rain, as Simon Ricard, a training consultant with engineering consultancy PermaLab and regenerative hydrology designer stressed during a webinar hosted in July 2023 by the Côtes de Provence wine producers’ organisation. “Two-thirds of continental rainfall comes from evapotranspiration, directly linked to plants and soils, known as green water”. Without it, the water cycle dysfunctions, causing alternate spells of drought and floods. Hence, “in addition to taking natural and artificial paths for water and hydraulic installations in vineyards into account, nurturing green water involves agronomy, through living soils for short-term water management and through agroforestry for long-term management”
A holistic approach
To summarise, regenerative viticulture requires a holistic approach geared to each vineyard. It intersects practices and goes beyond block level to create a sustainable ecosystem. “For it to become the norm, winegrowers now have to raise their game”, believes Malard. “The model has to be a means of going beyond organic viticulture and not occasionally avoiding its constraints by making exceptions and retaining the option of treating with synthetic products, at the risk of destroying all the efforts made to promote biodiversity”. The transition needs time and prior thought and implies learning and a paradigm shift, with yields that can be lower to start with. But it surely has to be worth the effort…
Florence Jaroniak. ©sofa12345678/pxhere
For more information: