André Beaufort

In 1969, André Beaufort discovered an allergy to synthetic products, which started his unconventional path of organic farming.

Since then, six and a half hectares of vineyards in Champagne, partly Grand Cru in Ambonnay and partly in Polisy, in the Aube, have received no treatment.

Working the soil (hoeing) and using vegetable and animal compost to maintain the humus necessary for life. For many years, Beaufort experimented with homeopathy and aromatherapy to combat resistance to fungal diseases such as downy mildew, thus minimising the use of copper and sulphur (tolerated by the organic discipline).

‘I personally create mixtures and dilutions of plants and essential oils,’ says Jacques Beaufort.

A special feature: the wines are still disgorged ‘à la volée‘, not out of folklore, but because Beaufort, breathing the wine from each bottle once more, can understand and perfect it.

In order not to use herbicides but to contain weeds, the soil is worked with a hoe, taking care not to damage the vine roots. The soils are enriched with vegetable compost produced on the farm enriched with meat and bone and blood meal. This preparation is spread over all the vines, protecting them from drought and helping to maintain the amount of humus needed for the soil’s biological activity.

Erosion is practically zero because the soil, thanks to compost, mechanical tillage and the presence of organisms such as earthworms, is permeable and well drained, which facilitates the enrichment of underground water tables (minimising the effects of floods and droughts).

The vines are worked all year round. In February and March, after the frost, pruning work begins to contain yields and achieve better ripening. At the beginning of June, the branches of the vines are tied to parallel iron wires, then sheared several times during the summer. Towards the middle of June, after flowering, the yields of the year can be assessed. In organic farming, production is lower. In the first years of conversion, yields dropped by a third.

The main fungal diseases are downy mildew and powdery mildew. For their treatment, the organic specification allows the use of copper and sulphur. However, these products have a certain toxicity that creates an imbalance for wildlife. For this reason, the Beauforts have been experimenting since 1974 with the use of essential oils that limit the development of diseases, and since 1980 they have been exploring the field of homeopathy.