VITICULTURE

Since I was a little boy I ‘ve had a strong emotional bound with our state, but it was not until I was 17 that I made my mind and decided to look after it.  When I started I slowly realized the path I wanted to follow. I was always passionate about the idea of becoming self sufficient using all the resources the state can offer; but to achieve that, I had to start a long path of observation and learning.  Listening and feeling nature helped me to understand that the land had to act with freedom in order to fulfill these expectations.

My first change was to substitute the traditional products; I am an enthusiast of the idea of sowing plants to cure plants; in order to achieve this we started doing macerations with different herbs such as horse’s tail,  nettles, valerian, etc… which gave the soil a natural balance with no harm to the nature and the fauna, and so helping insects, microorganism and animals to set in our land, creating this way a balanced cycle.

Here is where the bees started having an important role in the state, and we decided to put hives to help out with the pollination.

Another important step was to reduce mechanization, thus avoiding contamination and soil compaction, favoring a stronger link with the land.

We are always looking for a balance between wild and cultivated land in the Priorat,  this is a lifetime struggle, and after many years we managed to change the way we look at things, not only myself but my whole team, twelve people who work next to me every day, fighting for a better world … free of chemicals, waste or single-crop farming.  All this would not be possible without my team.   Little by little we can build a better and more respectful world, because in the end small things are the ones that matter the most.

To us, the most important thing is the land, and making sure that the grapes grow in the most natural way possible.  Our objective is to achieve balanced fields than can act with freedom. Christian Barbier Meyer is leading these efforts.

To achieve that we work with Biodiversity and regenerative -biodynamic agriculture, using the following techniques:

Autoctonous ground cover layer; with the help of vegetal bombs, (Masanobu Fukuoka’s philosophy)

Bio-fertilisers with microbiology from the surrounding forests and ashes from our vine shoots.

Microorganisms and insects

Permaculture. Applying the  permaculture principles and Masanobu Fukukoa’s philosophy.

Biochar. Vegetal coal extracted from the rests of the prunning. It helps to retain water and organic matter.

Using  light machinery and animals in order not to compact the soil and reduce  pollution.