Our Philosophy

To the vine

One of the turns of our history is undoubtedly

the full conversion of our estate to biodynamic cultivation.

We were then in 1997 and organic agriculture was not as notorious as it is nowadays but Dominique Frey chose to hold onto his convictions and takes on the challenge to launch an “alternative” production. An achievement as we now operate 14 hectares of vines of our own while following biodynamic basis. First and foremost, biodynamic culture is a matter of taking care of the soil.

It consists in ensuring the balance and creating harmonious life conditions between the soil, the plant and the surroundings. One row out of two is planted with temporary grasses made of various plants in order to have the largest biodiversity and provide shelter for numerous insects. To have the healthiest soil, various care is given to stimulate the rooting of the plant, to improve the soil quality by the presence of a great variety of bacteria and to improve the development of the leaves. The various treatments given to the vine are systematically made of herbal infusions and given at very specific times of the day. The first prevention treatment is made of silica (also known as 500) and is applied on the leaves in very small doses (100g/hectares). It is given at sunrise to take advantage of the emerging sunlight. The second treatment is made of cow horn and manure (also known as 501) it is also applied in very small doses (4g/hectare) but this time at sunset to capture the ground.

Biodynamic preparations are systematically diluted in rainwater (at human temperature). And stir energetically for one hour long. Throughout the stirring a vortex (which is a cyclone in the water that has been inducted by a long and powerful circular movement of the water) is created after approximately twenty seconds and is then broken to get “chao”. This operation takes place all along the energization. The means used are thus preventive and natural even if new problematics keep appearing all along the process. One of our last solution is the setup of birdhouses in order to attract tits. Indeed, tits feed on insects responsible for grape moth and answer our wish for an ever livelier vineyard.

Our Philosophy

At the winery

The second turn of our history happened in 2010. Feeling hemmed in the centre of the village and moved by the desire to improve the wines a bit more,

we decided to build a new wine storehouse at the entrance of Dambach-la-Ville.

After many years of consideration and research, an aboveground storehouse made of solid wood has been built using materials as natural as possible. But in what manner? Before we started to build, we first tried to locate the two underground springs. They embody the most vibratory point and bring out the most important amount of energy.

The architects worked to set the corners according to the golden number with the aim of creating a very good atmosphere as it was formerly done in the building of cathedrals. The iron set in the slab has been positioned by a water diviner and his pendulum to allow all the energetic points to be linked together. From this point a granite standing stone, the historic stone of Dambach-la-Ville’s vineyard has been laid to magnify the energies already there. Around this stone, the water flows from copper wires to bring negative ions (that have beneficial effects on the health) as well as moisture which is precious for the hygrometry and the barrels. More than just copper wires, they symbolize our family’s history. If you take a closer look, you will be able to notice seven wires: the two central wires stand for the parents Nathalie and Dominique, surrounded by their five children. You’ll also find this symbol on our logo.

The wine production and ageing process must be done in the continuity of what was realised in the vines. Once the grapes have been hand-picked, the pressing is done smoothly and in entire grapes so that the grapes are kept untouched. If the vintage allows it, we let the terroir’s yeast work. After the fermentation, the wines are matured on their lees in their wooden barrels or stainless steel barrels, depending on the vintage. The bottling occurs from April, when nature blooms to September to give way for the next vintage. We try and pass on the energy and life we put in our grapes to the wine for it to be as digestible and lively as possible. All the tasks we perform aim at expressing the terroir: the connection between man, climate and ground is essential.

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