Decanter

Going green in Languedoc-Roussillon

‘IF YOU CAN’T do it here, you can’t do it anywhere,’ exclaims Jon Bowen of Domaine Ste Croix in the Corbières. The 11ha property has been organically cultivated since 2004 (with official certification received in 2008) and Bowen is one of a growing number of producers who are convinced that given the climatic advantages of Languedoc-Roussillon, it’s the only way to go.

Organic wine production as a whole is on the increase in France, with the number of hectares of organically certified vineyards and those under conversion rising by 11% year on year in 2017, to 78,502ha. This accounts for about 10% of the country’s net total and puts France in third position behind Spain and Italy in a world ranking of organically run vineyards. The three combined account for 74% of the world’s organic production.

Conjointly, the number of organic growers in France has also increased, a total of

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