Chateau Feely celebrates 10 years organic and 8 years biodynamic

Château Feely celebrates ten years fully certified organic and 8 years of biodynamic and natural wine making.

Sean and Caro Feely bought their vineyard in 2005 and immediately set about transforming it to organic farming. Official organic certification began in 2006 and vintage 2009 was the first certified organic. Each year has brought a natural evolution in the way that the Feelys farm and make wine. From organic to biodynamic to natural wine-making and to permaculture.

The milestones below show the key steps but as important is the excitement, the joy of natural farming, seeing biodiversity explode, more healthy, disease resistant vines and the effect on the quality of Feely wines. The joy at seeing wild orchids come back into the vineyard after three years of organic farming was for their beauty but also for their message: the return of mycorrhizae.

Key milestones on the Feely’s natural farming journey:

• 2005 bought the farm and started organic practices

• 2006 began organic certification

• 2007 started biodynamic practices

• 2008 started biodynamic certification

• 2009 fully certified organic

• 2010 first no sulfite added red wine

• 2011 became fully certified biodynamic

• 2012 released first certified biodynamic wines

• 2013 first no sulfite added white wine

• 2014 transferred the entire domain to hand harvesting

• 2015 all red wines no sulfites added

• 2016 experimented with no plough permaculture

• 2017 converted entire domain to no plough permaculture enhancing biodiversity

• 2018 all wines released met SAINS natural wine-making standards

• 2019 development of an organic and biodynamic education trail in the vineyard and online

Your contact: Caro Feely (mobile: 0033 635933188). High resolution photos available on demand caro@ChateauFeely.com.

About Chateau Feely®

Feely wines are grown on a unique plateau of limestone, flint-stone and clay. The small production block specific wines are available direct from Chateau Feely, in top end restaurants and in specialist wine shops. The innovative and dynamic range includes no sulphites added wines and wines from very old vines planted in 1945. Chateau Feely also offers luxury ecological accommodation, a wine school and wine tours and are winners of two Best of Wine Tourism gold trophies. Caro Feely’s books include: Grape Expectations, Saving our Skins, Glass Half Full and Wine, the essential Guide. The Chateau Feely