How we tend our vines

Careful cultivation of the vines is paramount to producing a top quality wine. It is our policy at Domaine de Mourchon to employ a programme of sustainable viticulture throughout the annual growth cycle of the vine in order to maintain a healthy vineyard and to keep the yields low. Restricting the yield of the vine increases the concentration in each bunch of grapes that it produces and therefore raises the quality of the end product - our wines.

Sustainable viticulture means a commitment to the use of natural and organic methods wherever practical and the the use of chemicals as a last resort - 'culture raisonée' as it is known in France. As an example, weeds are managed through ploughing rather than the application of weed killers. Organic manures and fertilizers, including the composted lies from the previous years wine, are all used too.

Such prudent husbandry is a year-round labour - from pruning in the cold winter months when the vines are dormant, to careful canopy management during the vigorous growth period of June and July, through to September and manual harvesting, This traditional method allows pickers to eliminate any unhealthy fruit and to select individual bunches according to their ripeness, ensuring that our grapes arrive at the winery in the best possible condition.