Domaine de Long Dai, the Chinese winery owned by DBR Lafite group, is mulling converting to organic farming, a move in line with new leadership’s vision and group strategy, the winery has revealed.
Though still in its early stage of organic discussions, the winery has plans to eventually adopt organic farming and viticulture, its Cellar Master Liang Chen revealed at a masterclass held in Macau on Friday when asked by Vino Joy News on its organic strategy.
The masterclass hosted by Liang Chen and its General Manager Charless Treutenaere showcased a vertical of its grand vin Long Dai from 2018 to 2020 vintage, and a duo of 2019 and 2020 vintages from its second wine, Hu Yue, during Wynn Macau’s “Savour with Wynn” Bordeaux wine event organized with Omtis Fine Wines.
Located in Qiu Shan Valley in Penglai, Shandong in eastern and coastal China, the region compared with more arid Ningxia, is at the mercy of Shandong’s moonsoon seasons, which means higher disease pressure as a result of heavy rainfalls.
“In Yunnan, maybe they just need three chemical sprays a year for disease pressure to ensure vines’ health growth,” Liang told the audience making a comparison with the high-altitude wine growing region in southwestern China. “This is an impossible task in Penglai”.
Moderated by Bohai Sea, Penglai has an annaul average rainfalls of over 700 mm compared with Ningxia’s 200 mm. A sudden downpour in summer could bring in 150 mm in just a few hours, which was the case for the winery’s inaugural 2017 vintage.
“What I can tell you right now is that we are reducing the use of chemical sprays. We are spraying according to EU regulations, and we are working to reduce use of more toxic chemicals until we can completely achieve organic farming,” Liang added.
The shift towards organic farming, still in its infancy, is also part of the winery’s response to the increased demand from health-conscious consumers and for transparency in wine production, according to the winemaker.
However for a winery with just six vintages under its label, priority at the estate is still “trying to understand and define our terroir,” Liang stressed, “Organic conversion is a long process and we have started with experimenting a few years ago.”
The DBR Lafite group has dialled up its organic efforts after Saskia de Rothschild took over from her father Baron Eric de Rothschild as Chairman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) in 2018.
“Our new leadership values a lot about organic farming. This is the direction we are heading,” affirms Treutenaere. Since its opening in 2019, the winery has also enriched its biodiversity he added.
The winery has about 34 ha of vineyards with most planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Marselan, as well Syrah and Merlot and some “experimental varietals” that the winery remains tight lipped about. With first vines planted in 2008, the vineyards are spread over close to 500 terraces, similar to Porto in Portugal, on granite soil on the foothills of Qiu Shan Valley.
The grand vin Long Dai is a Cabernet dominated Bordeaux blend with Cabernet Franc and Marselan, a varietal that China sees closest as its own. Its second wine Hu Yue launched in 2021 with first vintage 2019 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Marselan, Syrah and Merlot.
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