Marie-Therese Chappaz, sharing convictions, emotions and passions
The culture of grapes for wine making in Valais dates back to the Gallo-Roman period, close to 2000 years ago.
Historical texts from the 11th century confirm this, 14th century writing describes various ancient grape varieties being grown in there like the Petite Arvine, Humagne Blanche, Rèze or Cornalin.
Before the river Rhone was tamed, numerous floods struck the inhabitants of the Valais.
Crops and livelihoods were regularly lost rendering many farmers in the area poorer than those living in the higher mountain villages.
In 1987 Marie-Thérèse took over the family vineyard, shortly after she created her first vintage in 1988.
The following year marked the birth of her daughter and the official opening of her winery.
Starting with a very small parcel of land (no more than a hectare and half), they found it difficult to survive at first.
Today, she is a proud owner of 10 hectares slowly acquired from family and through land leases.
Marie-Thérèse is a passionate wine maker, constantly looking for improvements to create a great wine that respects the land and soil.
Every year, she looks both inward and outwards for improvements.
In 1997, she visited a specialist in biodynamic farm at the Domaine Chapoutier in Tain-L'Hermitage in France.
There she learned about the principles of the new method.
Convinced that it was the future of farm, she quickly started to convert her entire vineyard to follow biodynamic farming principles.
"Biodynamic agriculture will not solve all the evils of the earth, but it is truly a farming of the future and an agriculture that will cure the Earth".
From 2003 onwards, the entirety of her domain Chappaz is grown biodynamically and is certified by Demeter and Bio-bud Suisse (Bio-Inspect AG).
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