GLORIVILLE

LI JINCHENG

Hebei

Gloriville was established in 2018 and started organic cultivation. In 2023, it switched to biodynamic cultivation. The vineyard covers an area of 10 hectares and is located on a sandy highland formed by the alluvial deposition of the Sanggan River and the Yanghe River.

The surface layer is alluvial sandy loam soil, and the bottom layer is interspersed with black soil layers and sandy soil layers deposited by the river channel. The soil contains 1% to 10% gravel. The temperate semi-arid continental monsoon climate brings a small amount of rainfall, the air is relatively dry, and there is a large temperature difference between day and night.

The varieties in the vineyard include Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan, Longyan, Merlot, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and other varieties. During the winemaking process, only the natural yeast in the vineyard is used for fermentation, and it is allowed to settle naturally. There is no fining or filtration, and sulfur is added in a small amount or not at all.

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Organic, Biodynamic and Natural wine. What’s the difference?

To understand this concept and its various ramifications, it is necessary to keep something clear in mind: before the 20th century and the spreading of affordable synthetic fertilisers, all farming was organic. When the shift to the use of synthetics and pesticides happened, it became necessary to diversify traditional organic farming from the new modern farming. 


ORGANIC WINE

Simply put, organic farming forbids the use of synthetic fertilisers, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or genetically modified organisms. The basic requirements are generally specific and engage the farmers not to use any chemical fertilisers and other synthetic products in the vineyard. It does not prevent the vintner from using the conventional winemaking process after harvesting. 


BIODYNAMIC WINE

Let’s take organic farming one step further: Biodynamic. The creator of this agricultural system is the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, who developed the principles of biodynamics in a series of lectures given in 1924 in Germany. Here lies the foundation of true organic wines, with a strict limit in the use of additives, stringent requirements and at the end obtaining a biodynamic certification.


NATURAL WINE

The previous definitions are usually, and rightfully, associated with it, because most natural wine is also organic and/or biodynamic. But not vice versa!

Natural wine is wine in its purest form, simply described as nothing added, nothing taken away, just grapes fermented. No manipulation whatsoever, minimal intervention both in the vineyards and in the winery. Healthy grapes, natural yeast and natural fermentation, with no filtration nor fining. Sounds easy, right? However, making natural wine is unforgiving and it requires a bigger amount of work than conventional wine. To this day, natural wine has no certification yet.