Château Fougas - June 2021
In Fougas, the vine is in bloom, embalming the vineyard and its surroundings with subtle and capbing scents. Usually it blooms ten days after the lime trees, but capricious this year it has preceded them!
Below are your latest news from Château Fougas:
BIODYNAMIC VITICULTURE and SILICA
In biodynamic viticulture, we regularly use silica-based treatments in the vineyards from April to October. New agricultural research recently revealed the benefits of silica on the plants: Silica is a constituent element of all plants as well as carbon. Assimilated by the root system in the form of silicic acid, it is transported by the plant in the xylem which ensures its good distribution in its tissues.
THE NUMEROUS BENEFITS OF SILICA
- It captures light: Silica increases the robustness of plants and increases their biomass by stimulating photosynthesis. When we start a silica treatment, the effect is immediately visible, the leaves shine and capture light more easily.
- It alleviates nutritional imbalances: Silica stimulates the absorption of nutrients such as iron, zinc, and potassium. It allows the production of terroir wines bursting with the minerality specific to their environment.
- It protects against the heat wave: Silica attenuates hydric and biotic stress. It allows the vines to adapt to climatic changes and summer heat waves which are now frequent. All without the grapes being too much loaded in sugar, which would increase the alcohol content in the wines.
AND THEN...
- It ensures the resistance of plants to parasites and fungi: Especially to vine diseases such as mildew and powdery mildew, thereby allowing to drastically limit the amount of copper and sulfur during phytosanitary treatments.
- It improves the yields: As the vines are in good health and are flourishing, the yields increase without suffering while maintaining the long finish and the organoleptic quality of the wines.
- Finally, in autumn, it accelerates the fall of the leaves which constitutes a contribution of silica on the ground thus renewing the cycle of silica in the plants.