Insects – le vrai goût de terroir?

Mass of insects on and in the bin below the sorting table@Domaine Charles Joguet

During a swift visit yesterday to Domaine Charles Joguet where we saw François-Xavier (FX) Barc and his team, I discovered to my astonishment how many insects are gathered in even when picking grapes into cagets (small plastic boxes).

Grapes waiting to be sorted at Domaine Charles Joguet: 8.10.09

The domaine has a new vibrating sorting table which includes a series of small holes through which undersized and dried out grapes (often burnt to a frazzle by the sun) as well as insects drop through into a blue bin underneath. Here are some photos of this host of spiders, ladybirds and earwigs etc. Normally all of these insects end up in the fermenting vat, while these fortunates will be returned to the vines. Many of these insects, the ladybirds, are highly beneficial as they eat unwanted insects that attack the vine and its grapes.

Closer view of some of the insects

......and closer

Of course there will be many fewer insects in grapes from vineyards sprayed with pesticides, insecticides and weedkillers.

The presence of fermented insects in wine may at last explain the origin of le goût de terroir! Certainly if labelling of all wine ingredients becomes complusory it will be necessary to list insects. Whether it will be necessary to list the proportion and the species remains to be seen.

A wider view – there are whole clusters of ladybirds on the insides of the bin