GRANGE DE BOUYS

DOMAINE VITICOLE

TERROIR OF BIODIVERSITY   

BIODIVERSITY

SURROUNDING THE ORGANIC WINE MAKERS

OF DOMAIN GRANGE DE BOUYS

The domain is located on the foothills of the Black Mountain, at an altitude of 200 m, overlooking the plains.

From a geological standpoint, the basin consists of a mixture of clay, limestone, psammites, sandstone, schist and conglomerate between the hills and the plains.

We are fortunate to have 40 hectares of land unsegmented that surround the family property. Our 6 hectares of vines are planted on hillsides that are oriented south-east and in well-protected areas.

The environment of our domain is natural and diversified, with garrigue, woods and pasture, as well as steep areas and a little ravine. Dry stone walls shape our domain throughout the fields and terraces.

The diversity of the fauna and flora at La Grange de Bouys contributes to the well-being of our vines. We take a great care in protecting and promoting our natural environment all the while developping and restoring the historical agricultural landscape of our domain.

Our lands are a sanctuary for a great range of birds, wild boars, partridges, rabbits, hares, pheasants, lizards, bats and of course countless insect species. This great biodiversity is the corner stone of the good development and natural operation of our biodynamic practices throughout the domain.

In particular, it enables to fight against insects that could become a threat to the grapes. In our vines, we let wild plants and wild flowers grow in winter and in early spring, then we use an interceps to control the vegetation without plowing. In order to preserve our environment and our clients health, we use organic and biodynamic practices that consist in considering the soil as a living organism. With a soil filled with worms and micro-organisms, we get healthy vines that are naturally more resistant to diseases and pests.

The garrigue of our hillsides are prolific in thyme, rosemary, fennel and wild asparagus. We also have a great variety of trees: mulberry trees, almond trees, fig trees, oak trees, cypresses, arbutuses, pines and a beautiful olive grove. In our vegetable garden, we are growing lettuce, onions, tomatoes, potatoes... and various aromatic herbs along with a few fruit trees.

Every time we go for a walk on our lands, we are marveled in wonder by the scents and sounds coming from this prosperous environment: the scent of wild flowers and herbs, the buzzing of bees bringing back pollen in their hives... And we are happy to help them live on!

DRY STONE WALLS

The old dry stone walls that circle a large part of the plots and terraces of the domain are essential for preserving the biodiversity and we have decided to restore all of them. 

These magnificient constructions, put up generations ago and evidence of an ancestral savoir-faire in this area, are particurlarly well-adapted to the surrounding fauna and play an important role for the prosperity of the natural diversity.

Throughout the domain Grange de Bouys, many of these walls need to be restored or fortified. Florence, with the help of her passoniate friends from the association "Dry Stones", regularly spend some time renovating this vernacular heritage. 

It is with this association located in Faugères, and with professionals in France and abroad (Burgundy, Languedoc, Ireland and Minorca) that Florence was trained and that she acquired the necessary skills to preserve and build dry stone walls without using any mortar. As an active member and treasurer of the association, she gladly shares her savoir-faire to wwoofers or to any other dry stone amateur.

PERMACULTURE

On our domain, we endeavor to respect the 3 founding principles of permaculture for a shared well-being: to take care of the soils, forest and water - to take care of the human - to share with fairness.

Regarding the soil, we have created in our vegetable garden mounds of soil rich in nutrients (organic manure, green plants and shredded plants) and organized the plants in such a way that neighboring plants complement one another.

Regarding the forest, we have planted more than 380 trees, focusing on fruit trees well-adapted to our climate: olive trees, almond trees, mulberry trees and fig trees...

Regarding the water, we have created a wetland to boost the biodiversity and we maximize the reuse of water for our vegetable garden needs.

The permaculture patches, the orchard, the basin, the seedling table, the perennial plants and the annual plants give rhythm to our activities within the vegetable garden. These activities are undertaken manually with no use of systemic chemical products and according to the biodynamic lunar calendar and its fruit days, leaf days, flower days or root days. The vegetable garden brings us a daily amount of fresh, colorful and high in vitamines ingredients for our family meals.

We try every day to take good care of ourselves and of all those who come and share a piece of our everyday life (wwoofers, domain guests) by adopting a life rhythm in harmony with the earth rhythm and by favoring vegetable garden cultures for our food.

In our vegetable garden, our vineyard and throughout our lands, we aim at having a sustainable production, able of sustaining our needs while preserving the natural resources and without ever reaching their ecological limits. As members of the association "Jardinons Ensemble", we participate in the sharing of advice and feedback from all its active members.

Email: jardinons_ensemble@yahoo.fr,   

Phone: Jaumeta 06 84 49 21 23

              Nicole 06 82 45 78 00.