|
|
Respect for the soil is of
primary importance at Willakenzie Estate, since it is the soil that
provides the grapevines with nutrients and gives the winegrapes their
distinctive flavor profiles. We see the vineyards and surrounding pastures
and forests as a whole ecosystem. Our vineyard practices come from our
belief in sustainable agriculture with the goal of producing the very
highest level of fruit quality, while minimizing the use of chemicals
and synthetic fertilizers, in order to protect the environment and those
who work in the vineyards and drink our wine.
According to soil scientist Yves
Herody, from Charency, France, "A slow decline in the productivity
of soils has shown up in recent years.... in the short term, this leads
to the destruction of soil as a productive tool. At the same times,
the quality of agricultural food crops has declined, favoring appearance
alone....Finally, the quality of ground water has declined, and we can
blame an important part of pollution on agriculture.... All pollution
is also an alarm raised by the soil, for it marks the first symptoms
of soil decline."
We can learn from the experience
of wineries in Burgundy, where after years of heavy chemical applications
in the vineyards, winemakers discovered a gradual loss of the distinctive
flavors of each vineyard until they returned to the traditional vineyard
practices of their ancestors.
|
