Come to the South of France | Vineyards and Biodiversity Conference Set for January 18-19 in Avignon

In May 2022, I had the pleasure of traveling to Avignon for the first Vineyards & Biodiversity conference, which was the best gathering I have attended in professional wine circles. Now the conference is back from a second time and is being held January 18-19 in Avignon again with simultaneous French-English translation.

Here's the post I wrote after attending the first one. That one drew 150 participants from five countries. (I think I was the only American, except for American born Nicole Rolet, proprietor, with her husband Xavier Rolet, of the nearby Chene Bleu.)

This time I will be joined by four Californians–Julie Johnson (and spouse) of Tres Sabores (where Julie is participating in interesting vineyards and birds research with Humboldt ), Ben Mackie from Napa Green and Deborah Parker Wong, my colleague and friend and co-editor with me on Slow Wine Guide. 

This next conference promises to be equally informative and thought provoking with original and engaging thinkers from a variety of disciplines.

See the program here: 

The 2024 conference will cover:

• Pragmatic topics: hydroecology, the principles of agroforestry, the oil revolution, the circular economy, new ways of combating powdery mildew and downy mildew, the benefits of animals in and around the vineyard, bio-indicator plants, ecological corridors and more.

Who can attend? Winegrowers, unions, wine professionals, scientists, researchers and students with a link to the subject. 

Birte says it will feature: 

• 12 top-flight lectures by international speakers

• A half-day case study of a vineyard in symbiosis with biodiversity

And it will address:

• How can we change the winegrowing model?

• How can winegrowing practices be transformed into "virtuous cohabitation and

collaboration," with mutual benefits for both man and nature?

• How can we link theoretical research with field experience?

More from Birte: 

Considering nature, fauna, flora and the soil as free and inexhaustible resources, adopting the role of "exploiter," is now proving to be a dead end and limits our understanding of the environment in which winegrowing takes place. 

Preserving biodiversity not only requires a rethink of agronomic approaches, it also means going beyond the boundaries of land registry. 

Because of the complexity of living organisms, biodiversity necessarily becomes a project of collective dimension, touching on aspects of cultivation as well as cultural and philosophical ones.

The evolution of practices must take place at the heart of the vineyard, taking into account the complexity of the running of a wine estate and its economic, technical and human needs. 

Networking between researchers, winegrowers, experts and economic players is not only essential at regional and national level, but also at European level, in order to give ourselves the best chance of tackling these global challenges.