The three vineyards are investing together in an above-ground greenhouse dedicated to the conservation of individuals of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay and other grape varieties, in order to provide healthy vines and avoid mortality in the vineyard.
Faced with the challenges of the future, and in particular the decline of the vineyard due to certain diseases, Champagne, Burgundy and Beaujolais are uniting. The three interprofessions are investing together at the start of 2023 in a project called Qanopee. Consider a “bioclimatic greenhouse for the pre-multiplication of plant material”.
A technical term that hides a much simpler reality: the idea is to build a greenhouse of 4500m², above ground (the equivalent of a sterile room in a hospital) in order to keep the best clones of pinot noir, gamay and chardonnay, which will thus be disease-free once they arrive at nurseries for propagation.
Built in Champagne
Concretely, this building will be a completely synthetic and closed place. The atmosphere will be under pressure, in order to avoid the entry of any insect vector of disease. And instead of soil, the vines will be entitled to a coconut-based substrate. Ultra-secure conditions that should prevent the entry of viruses responsible for the degeneration of certain vines, such as fanleaf.
The complex will be built not far from Épernay, in Champagne. Estimated at 8 million euros, it will be mainly financed by funds from the European Union and local authorities. It should be “up and running” in 2024, for a first delivery of plants in 2027.
