Organic Wine? No thanks!

 The EU-funded body Orwine has spent 3 years researching organic wine production within the EU. The body has been funded by member states, with the aim of reaching an agreement in labelling 'Organic Wine'. Currently, the only denomination available is 'Wine made form Organically Grown Grapes'.
Unfortunately, after this lengthly and costly research program was concluded, the EU Minister for Agriculture decided that agreement between the member states was untenable, and scrapped the whole plan.
This came down mainly to disagreements on the use of sulphur in the winery, which although it is a certified organic product for vineyard work, seems to represent a problem in the winery. Yet again, infighting seems to have detracted from an important and impressive project (download the Orwine recommendations here).
Is it important that wine be labelled organically? I think for clarity it is, and also of course for transparency of the process from grapes to bottle. The public is increasingly demanding of this. Many calls for tender we get are seeking specifically organic wine, so if the EU can't agree on what 'Organic Wine' is, then things are going to get complicated.
Our wines here are not organic, although we are considering the possibilities. In the larger picture, organics certainly makes growers and producers look harder at their systems and listen more to nature as they try to combat problems in more resourceful (and less harmful) ways.
Will we ever get an official 'Organic Wine' label in the EU? I wouldn't hold your breath...

Full Speed Ahead

It's hot here now and the vines are really growing fast. Shoots can gain 2cm a day here in the summer sun. We've been out having a look around each of are plots to see what's going on. On the left you can see some Grenache from one of our Collioure vineyards. Notice the slightly uneven berry size, and the formation of some 'second set' bunches higher in the picture. These are not too serious however, and we are expecting a good Grenache season if all goes well. The other red varieties are more complicated due to bad weather, as I mentioned in a previous post.
Bad news North of here, where a hailstorm destroyed over 50% of fruit in some vineyards in the Agly valley last week, near the town of Maury. This is heartbtreaking for some excellent producers like Eric Laguerre who work the soil and vines organically, putting in a huge amount of hours. To then see their vines stripped by hail is a nightmare. The storm was so heavy that they had to use a snowplough to clear some roads!
Here in Collioure we've been doing a final spray of copper and/or sulphur on many of our vineyards to protect against mildew and oidium. These are organically-certified sprays which we use only when absoutely necessary. As you can see below, it is hard work when you can't get a tractor in the vineyard, as it involves a 30kg backpack and moving up and down every vineyard on foot to ensure each vine is well protected. Fortunately José has been doing it for a few years now, and has got the hang of it!

Les Musiaques de Collioure

Coume del Mas was proud to be part of Collioure's annual wine festival on the 11,12 and 13 June.
The weather was superb fore the weekend, and a v large crowd turned up to taste the wines of the region's producers, all accompanied with food some some of the area's best chefs. There was also music, art exhibitions, theatre and storytelling.

This sort of event is very important for small appellations like Collioure and Banyuls. Although there may be little direct selling on the day, the event helps people remember why our wines are special. It is also a rare opportunity for all the winegrowers to get together and sample each others' wines, and for the locals to have a glass of wine and a chat.