Pommery begins organic conversion

The Vranken-Pommery group will start converting its vineyards in Champagne to organic viticulture from the 2020 harvest.

Vranken-Pommery’s vineyards in Carmargue are in the process of being converted to organics

The conversion involves 175 hectares of the 285 hectares managed by the group in Champagne and will take a minimum of three years.

As part of the conversion, the Champagne house will use no synthetic fertilisers, herbicides, insecticides or fungicides on its vines. The decision to make the conversion to organics follows years of organic trials and experiments.

“Organic viticulture comes naturally within the scope of our group philosophy, because currently almost 2,000 hectares of vines in Camargue and in Provence, which belong to us, are certified as organic or are in conversion.

“All our vineyards in Camargue and in Provence will be certified as organic at the 2023 harvest,” said Vranken-Pommery’s president, Paul-François Vranken.

The group’s Douro estate, Quinta do Grifo, has just begun its conversion to organics across its 130 hectares of vineyards in the Douro Superior.

Julien Lonneux, Vranken-Pommery’s UK CEO, said: “We are so proud of working for a group at the forefront of sustainable development – 2020 has been a difficult year for Champagne, but moments like this give us all excitement and hope for the future”.

Vranken-Pommery has already been awarded certification for ‘High Environmental Value’ and ‘Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne’.

The group has been pursuing a green agenda for over 20 years, and was among the first in Champagne to achieve ISO 14001 certification.