A mixed-culture domain
Between the Rhône and Nîmes, Domaine Terre des Chardons is an estate that produces wines with strong typicity, but also olive oil, salad, spinach, melons, zucchini… All biodynamically . An unusual model, but one that works, as its owner, Jérôme Chardon, explains.
How do we come to polyculture?
Originally from Touraine where they grew fruit trees, the Chardon family bought the estate in 1983. The farm was mainly focused on peach cultivation with a few vegetable growing, which made it vulnerable to fruit crises. Hence the interest in greater diversity of crops, one production being able to catch up with the other. This is why we developed the market gardening activity and then planted olive trees and vines from 1999. The first vintage dates from 2002.
Today, what cultures are present in the estate?
We have eight hectares of vines, in Syrah, Grenache noir and Clairette, and as many olive trees. We also produce nearly two million salads per year, spinach, spring onions and several dozen tonnes of tomatoes, melons, zucchini and squash. Two years ago, we had to resolve to uproot most of the apricot and cherry trees because their cultivation was structurally loss-making.
How is life on the estate organized?
We employ between ten and fifteen people per year because each culture has its own calendar. All have a specialty but all are capable of working on all of our crops. Having such a team, which is not possible with monoculture vines, which have personnel needs that differ greatly depending on the time of year, is a real opportunity, especially in biodynamics.As we favor manual practices, carried out at the right time, for pruning, disbudding or lifting for example, we can react very quickly and in numbers. However, mixed farming sometimes requires juggling schedules, like in September, when the harvest falls at the same time as the first salad plantings!