Provence Leading in Organic Wine Making in France

Provence wine region is the leader in France in percentage terms of organic vineyard areas, and that number continues to increase. Since November 2022, you can also check where the organic vineyards are in Provence, and the whole of France, so you can now see if your favourite producer’s vineyards are organic.

Provence has the goal of being 100% organic by 2030, and already in 2023, the appellation “Les Baux de Provence” will be France’s first completely organic appellation. The development in Provence is impressive, tripling in ten years. In 2021 the total percentage of organic land, including those under conversion, was 38% compared to 21% for France’s wine-growing areas. Continue reading Göran’s original article here, including charts and an interactive website link.

Here is an excerpt from The Wines of Provence – Tricolour regarding organic wines in teh South of France.

“Provence wine region is the leader in France in terms of the percentage of organic vineyard area, and the percentage is increasing and increasing. One reason is a conscious investment in organic farming, and this is, of course, facilitated by Provence’s lovely climate.

Summers are warm and dry, sometimes even very hot and very dry due to the influence of tropical anticyclones, while winters are mild. The famous Mistral wind coming from the Rhône valley freshens the air helping to dry up after rain. By that, the Mistral protects the vines from fungal diseases like powdery mildew (French: oïdium) and downy mildew (French: mildiou).”

Guest Writer:

Göran Boman, the author of The Wines of Provence – Tricolour, is based in Sweden, far from Provence’s vineyards. His studies at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology led to a career with large international companies. Before retiring, Göran monitored the quality of nuclear fuel transmitted from EDF France to Sweden.

About 25 years ago, he joined Munskänkarna (“Cup-bearers”) for wine tastings and education. The association is the world’s largest non-commercial wine-tasting group with 30,000 members, mainly in Sweden and Provence.

If you love Provence wines, then this Essential Reading is for you. Göran Boman covers 58 wine producers in his book and recommends 338 wines, not just rosé wines. Use the book as a guide to discovering these wines and their producers. His goal is to deepen your knowledge of everything worth knowing about the wines of Provence.

More on Provencal Wine by Göran

Too Dry! Drought Conditions in the French Vineyards

Pruning Grapevines in Provence is Hard Work

2022 Grape Harvest in Provence Showing Promise

Wine Update on the 2021 Grape Harvest in Provence

2021 Challenges for Winemakers of Provence

AOP Les Baux de Provence

©Chateau Romanin

Running primarily from east to west Provence’s miniature Alps – les Alpilles – are a small mountain chain, approximately 30km in length. The highest peak is not quite 500m above sea level, yet this outcropping holds almost mythical status in the region. These jagged limestone spires protected our ancient ancestors in natural caves and knolls. As a result, traces of humanity found in the Alpilles have been dated well before the Celts, Greeks and Romans occupied Glanum.

This same mountain range provided fodder for Van Gogh’s paintings while he was in St Remy. Les Alpilles is a protected regional park, an open-air expanse of natural brush, pines, wildflowers and herbs de Provence. The Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles encompasses 16 villages and at least many vineyards.

The area is perfect for growing wine. The vines thrive in a slightly harsh environment, with their roots in a well-draining sandy, rocky soil and their leaves grasping at the endless sunshine. The frequent winds, particularly the mistral, tend to arrive shortly after rainfall to dry out the grapes. If you are a wine lover, read about the 12 reasons to visit the vineyards of les Baux and the lady winemakers of AOP Les Baux de Provence.