Jean Foillard

Beaujolais, France

The Foillard vineyard exists since the father of Jean Foillard started doing wines. The Domaine as it's known today, comprising of 14 hectares ruled by Jean and Agnès, started in 1980. It is grounded on the famous area of Côte du Py, near the village of Villié-Morgon. Such a great location is not the only key to the vineyard's success. Soon after the beginning of his activities, Jean began to switch the vineyard's farming towards more natural and responsible processes. Contrary to the trends of the Beaujolais area, Jean Foillard started working with old vines, later harvests, rigorous sorting and no addition of sulfur if possible. Following these natural methods allows the real potential of Morgon to be released. Wines are raised in older barrels from Burgundy, a logical decision for someone crafting Gamay in a Burgundian style.

 

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.