Photo courtesy of Francois Couture
By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
A Brigham vineyard has become the first vineyard in Quebec and the second in Canada to receive a certification from the U.S.-based Regenerative Organic Alliance. The certification goes beyond organic certification to assess not only a winery or farm’s crop-growing and pest control methods, but its wider environmental and social impact.
Winemaker Simon Naud took over the Vignoble de la Bauge from his parents, Alcide and Ghislaine Naud, in 1996. At the time, organic methods were not yet used there. “I was working to understand the wine and the terroir and gain our name recognition; I just wanted to produce the best wine we could at the best price. It wasn’t until later [in 2016] that I went organic,” Naud said.
As part of the organic certification process, Naud did away with chemical fertilizers on his land. Amid growing public awareness of the climate emergency, he realized he didn’t want to stop there. “Going organic is a big step, but just because we weren’t using chemicals, it doesn’t mean we were acting in the best interests of the planet,” he said. “We were using the tractor more, using gas more. We wanted to take things further and minimize our impact on the planet.”
He explained that switching to regenerative agriculture involved three major “axes” – fertilizing his vines with natural compost, encouraging biodiversity and putting more emphasis on community contributions. An independent auditor takes periodic soil samples, which are tested for “soil vitality.” The vineyard has acquired a herd of sheep to make a dent in excess vegetation and provide natural fertilizer, and installed nest boxes and begun growing berry bushes to attract birds, which eat insects. Naud also welcomes apprentice winemakers and soil scientists who want to work on research and development projects.
“We planted a biodiversity research patch – two rows of grapes and one row of berries … it creates disease barriers and you have other fruits you can ferment and produce other things with, where you can flavour the wine; that’s something I want to do,” he said. “I’ve found that people are keen to work with me and rethink agriculture together – botanists, wine lovers and urban farming experts. I enjoy talking to people, hearing what they have to say, seeing the birds in the spring and the life that pops up everywhere.”
“The oldest vineyards in Quebec are only about 40 years old,” he pointed out. “When you think about it, we have it all to rebuild and rethink, especially when we talk about adaptation to climate change. Every vineyard in this country is a lab.”