A new step for Clos Troteligotte, a wine estate located in Villesèque within the Cahors appellation: the planting of 4,000 trees in the heart of the vineyard, following the principle of...agroforestryA major challenge in just three years!

You won't recognize the estate… Practicing organic and biodynamic agriculture for nearly ten years, Clos Troteligotte is taking a new step forward with the development of agroforestry within its vineyard plots. Since 2021, Emmanuel Rybinski and his team have been planting and integrating trees with the vines wherever possible.

Service trees, rowan trees, maples, hawthorns, hornbeams, hazelnut trees, pistachio trees, pear trees, fig trees, apple trees… Nearly 4,000 trees, shrubs, and aromatic plants have been planted across the 16 hectares of Clos Troteligotte. The scale and scope of the work undertaken is unprecedented: in the form of hedges, along the vines, around and between each plot, but also across an entire hectare using pergolas. This technique aims to ensure that the tree and the vine grow together. Initially, the vine will be trained on stakes. Then, once the tree has grown well, it will twine around the tree and its branches. The trees will be partially pollarded, and the soil will be worked using horses.

Living organism

Practiced for centuries in France, this technique has been slowly abandoned. Yet, agroforestry offers many advantages for vine cultivation in particular, and agriculture in general: a factor in biodiversity, a temperature regulator (shade), a carbon sink, a windbreak effect, a soil structuring agent, a means of combating erosion… This cultivation method now allows vines to cope with climatic hazards, the scarcity of water resources and soil depletion.

“In biodynamic farming, the farm is seen as a living organism composed of organs essential to the survival of the whole,” adds Emmanuel Rybinski, the estate’s winemaker. “For us, the tree is now an indispensable organ for the operation, for the good health of our vines and the quality of our wines.”

Refuge to predators

Another advantage of trees is that they provide refuge for predators of vine pests. Take the example of the bat, which preys on the moth that carries the grape worm, a devastating insect for vines. Bats need "ecotones" (a stepping stone or transition zone between two ecosystems, such as between two wooded areas) to establish themselves. Trees can play this ecotone role within a vineyard. Bats can roost in hedges or trees found in the vineyard and then come to feed on the moths, or leafhoppers, another pest.

In addition to planting trees, Clos Troteligotte takes care of all the areas surrounding its vineyards. A large pond has been dug for the local flora and fauna. The estate also includes woods, meadows, flowerbeds, wells, and barns in need of renovation. "On the hectare covered by a pergola," explains Emmanuel Rybinski, "we've also planted a new disease-resistant grape variety: Floreal." This is yet another new challenge for the winemaker, who invites you to discover all these projects during walks through the vineyards throughout the summer. Registration is required and can be done by calling +33 6 74 81 91 26 or emailing contact@clostroteligotte.fr.

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We are supported on this project by Alain Canet and the association Arbres Haies Paysage 46We thank them warmly.