Sevely
Domaine Philippe Thuronis
11 240 Alaigne
From mouth to ear
"bell rings Ling" The phone rings. I lift from. "Hi Anton, This is Jean-Louis. How are you? Yesterday, at a school meeting, I met Philippe Sevely. He is a winery in Alaigne and its operation is to switch to biodynamic farming. He is very likeable and I think he can tell an interesting story. If you want I make an appointment with him. "" Yes, fine, I would like to. "
Five days later, we drive through Alaigne to visit him. I'm going in the direction you Belvèze Razès and keep in front of a large sign indicating the domain Thuronis.
Domaine Thuronis: the sign
The sign stands in front of an ocean from vines. It does not even see the buildings of the winery. This is very impressive, one can imagine living here for the King of the winemakers. Follow the access road and after 500 meters I park the car in front of a large building.
His life
The life of Philippe Sevely is atypical.
Domaine Thuronis: Philip Sevely
"I worked for large companies in the export. I have built up distribution networks in South America.
In 2000 I returned to France. I did not want to continue working in this profession. I got involved in the wine. From 2002 to 2004, I have a Training at both school and practice at various wineries. In 2005 I was ready. My wife Clara and I then started to look very closely a winery. And it is now. Thuronis, 35 acres of wine, 2 hectares of arable land, a vegetable garden and forest "
The goal
Our goal is to build an autonomous court on the basis of Biodyynamie. That is, we also grow vegetables and fruit, poultry keeping and later on we also produce our own electricity. Among us there is a vein of water, we will build a well with which we irrigate our gardens and then back up later on our drinking water supplies.
Bio is now in fashion, people talk a lot about organic and healthy diet. Above all, a healthier diet has me closer to organic, not fashion. It will not happen tomorrow, organic, it takes much thought, with us it was our increasing awareness that has brought us to Bio.
The farm size
Philippe, Clara, and an employee. That's 2 ½ (one of whom works part-time) workers for 35 hectares of vineyards, the fruit and vegetable garden and poultry. Then there are the wine production, marketing, sale of vegetables, eggs and fruit, in my opinion is one Herculean task. Philippe is not my opinion.
"It's only a matter of organization. It appears for the first time a lot of work to be, but the wine is expected in principle for 15 acres with a work force, that is, for our vineyards are 2 ½ more than enough. To May in the vineyard is very much work, then it is quiet. Now the 2 ½ to do something different. The vegetable garden is laid out in March and the season is from June to September. The fruit season is from May to October. The wine is easy to organize, we'll do at night during the harvest, the wine can then continue working during the day alone. After that, we have suspended a waiting period of 2 to 3 months in which the wine to then decanted and bottled to be. The last phase of the sale, our marketing is relatively simple. »
Marketing
" We have two marketing strategies. We work with a wholesaler in Sète, he buys 80% of our production, the remaining 20%, which is our own wine we expand itself and in bottles bottle. We actually produce two different wines. Our own wine does not go through a wine press, he comes into a tank and by the weight of the grapes, these crushed and flows the juice. The wine wholesaler would like a pressed wine.
A quarter of our own wine is at 10 restaurants of "Relais & Chateaux3 and reslichen ¾ be here at the winery sells directly to tourists, especially Dutch, Belgians and British, some of them purchase full carton, some take up to 10 cases."
Conversion to organic has implications for the marketing
Philippe is converting its operation. It replaces the "normal" production by the biological and even more, the biodynamic cultivation. The amount of the wine produced will decrease compared to previous years. And its main customers in ? Sète what he says to the conversion
"Two things are changing: First, the quantity of wine produced, because biological Who have grown less grape vines. The amount decreases by about 50%, based on one hectare, this means the normal yield of 80 hl / ha back to about 40 to 50 hectoliters. Our wholesaler agrees.
The second is, we produce organic wine. Even so, he agrees. »
Philippe does not talk about the third thing, he talks about the price. Why? "The price does not change for us."
Revenue from the sale to the wholesalers are thus reduce by 50%. I think that's a big sacrifice.
The growing costs
There is the "normal" farming, the natural Cultivation, the biological and biodynamic farming. "Normal" production that is the spraying of vines with chemical Subtstanzen, to make sure this is not just once but several times made in the year. Naturally grown, this sounds reasonable and good. Even here, though chemical pesticides are used more or less. Organic production means will be sought in principle to work without chemical pesticides. The biodynamic farming is really naturally, all work in the vineyards do not harm the earth and they are by the inclusion of the moon even more effective.
Philippe compares the costs of a nature-friendly farming with those of organic farming. "On average, , the cost of a nature according to cultivation to about 1,000 € per hectare. For us it was the beginning of many more, in the first year we had costs, which we prefer to think not so often do. The distributors of pesticides are thoroughly businessmen, they force you, by sampling, and they always find traces of mildew or powdery mildew, using more and more pesticides. That is their technology to upset you. We were new to the area and we had costs of € 2,500 per hectare. But do not worry, we have done what was necessary. The costs of organic farming are about as high as that of the nature according to cultivation. In the organic farming, it is primarily the handiwork, which is expensive, the rising Energy costs are an additional burden. This is one reason to go further and to work organically, where you put your applications to use her own, which is cheaper.
Schwefelsulfit the harm caused to
During our meeting, I have often spoken of sulfur in the wine. Philippe has always corrected me patiently, he says, it is called "sulfite". He is right, the chemical element sulfur is a non-metal of yellow color. Sulfur is known from the sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for batteries, matches and fireworks. Sulfur is also sprayed in the vineyard to disease such as mildew. But sulfur is not used in the wine. In contrast, the wine to preserve Schwefelsulfit (SO2) is added. These sulfites are not good for health. Therefore, the wine must not be too much of sulfite added, so as the limits for red wines 160 mg / liter and 210 mg / liter for white wine. On the label it must be pointed when sulfites were added. Philippe tries, it adds to the red wine and white wine, only 80 mg / liter. He is not happy with the way of identification, he would have welcomed it if the amount of added sulfite should have been given, eg, the wine contains 80 mg of sulfite per liter. Right now, he goes his own way, the text on the label "contains sulfite" is so small that it is impossible to read. Next year will be extended to the biodynamic wine, no added sulfite, so the additional "contains sulfite" ûberhaupt not appear on the label.
Philippe does not stop to correct me if I "sulfur" and Clara say sorry for me, I need a baptism. A baptism?
Domaine Thuronis: Clara Sevely
brings you a canister and a box of small yellow stripes. She opens the canister, and invites me to keep my nose above. I do what she says and the result is not coming: BANG, it is about the same as if someone had my respiratory system a lance pierced. It is terrible and the other amused. She explains that the canister contains a sulfuric solution and apparently I detest SO2. Philippe
now gives me a yellow strip, a strip of sulfur. I do not smell much and I do not mind. He sets fire to the strip and keep it under my nose. Now I am very careful, the brutality of the resulting SO2 just endured an extent. I've learned my lesson and promise from now on with the word "sulfur" to deal more carefully.
Vintage
What significance has the little sticker on the bottle? A gold medal of the Ministry of Agriculture? No, there is something else. A little logo with the words "read the hand." I've never seen a sticker with the words "mechanically harvested." Why? If the harvest by hand better? Yes, that is, there are people who say they would be better. For example, René Dauty, a former director of a wine cooperative said in the newspaper "La Dépêche": "At present, nothing can replace the secure selection of the grape pickers. »
Philippe has his own beliefs about the harvest by machine and hand. "The mechanical harvest is superior to the hand, especially in terms of quality. Since there is no group of readers the wine chat, laugh and have fun, they do this and that and the grapes come in in the bucket, whether lazy or even semi-green. It will be read and read and in the evening?
Every reader has a right to a certain amount of wine in the evening. So a little drunk too much. In the morning he is not in shape, the back aches and the head and he cuts himself and perhaps also in the finger. You laugh, but that happens. The machine no green grapes are harvested, they will hang on the vine. As far as the maturity, that is the lesser problem, and often stick out grapes on the vine. »
This is not all. Philippe explained that the machine can harvest 6 acres in one night. If now 6 acres at the same time may be ripe for the machine to harvest all at once. Degegen needs the hand-picked several days, so either you start too early or too late. He still leads to a further advantage. With the machine, bring the grapes home in the night, so no heat and no oxidation.
organically grown
Every wine, "Organically grown" is controlled by a certificate from a recognized label to obtain. In France there are six recognized label that can give a certificate, "organically grown": Aclave, Ecocert, Ulas Agrocert, and Certipaq Qualité-France. Philippe is a customer vo Ecocert and there he paid a friendly price from 470 € for the control of the vineyards, fruit trees, chickens and vegetables. The chickens are the most expensive. The vineyards are the cheapest, it costs only 1 € per hectare. We do not understand. On the other hand, the bill is not the only one. Philippe tells us the conditions of Ecocert. In an emergency, he has the right mitzuverkaufen up to 20% non-organically produced products and to use up to 20% of chemical sprays and fertilizers. Seen in the biodynamic farming is certainly the most natural solution.
a matter of organization
They are 2 ½ workers and their working area covers 35 hectares of vineyards, a vegetable garden, fruit trees and poultry, wine making and marketing. Excessive ambition? I think not. Philippe and Clara make a relaxed impression. They take much time for us. The wine cellar and the barn are cleaned up and the vines look good. For Philippe's all just a matter of good organization.
Domaine Thuronis: the wines
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