Good Qs with Caro Feely, Chateau Feely Wine Estate

Caro Feely is a South African-born Irish author, winemaker and organic activist who lives in Saussignac, France, with her husband Sean Feely.

The bio-dynamic vineyard, Chateau Feely, is owned and operated by both husband and wife and it was awarded the Best of Wine Tourism award for sustainable tourism in the Bordeaux region in 2013. The Feelys continue to produce a wide range of organic, biodynamic and natural wines that are recognised for their quality and freshness, and are a favourite amongst many well-known names.

We sat down with Caro to discuss the challenges winegrowers face, the 7Rs, yoga and the success of farm to table.

Chateau Feely looks fantastic, could you tell us a bit more about it?

Thank you! Chateau Feely is an award-winning organic and biodynamic vineyard, one hour from Bordeaux city in Saussignac, Dordogne. We offer online wine experiences, teambuilding and courses; a certified wine school; visits; ecological accommodation; private yoga classes for guests; and organic, biodynamic and natural wines. We are a Gold Trophy winner in the National Wine Tourism Awards 2019 and the Best of Wine Tourism Gold Trophy winner in 2017 and in 2013. Star wines include natural wine Feely 'Grâce' red, pure Sauvignon blanc Feely 'Sincérité' and barrel aged Sémillon Feely ‘Générosité’.

What excites you about producing natural wines?

We work in harmony with what nature gives us to create artisanal wines that reflect where they are from rather than wines that fit a recipe. Each vintage and each wine are different. We love the art and nature of this way of working. The wines are individuals that reveal sometimes surprising elements, like a long-fermented Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé that has fabulous cherry, sweet spice and ginger aromas and flavours, things we wouldn’t expect from Cab Rosé raised in a stainless-steel tank.

Where do you see the future of farm to table restaurants?

People are more interested in the provenance of their food. Food that comes from the field outside is more nutritious and tastes better than one that has travelled a long way. What used to be almost everyone’s joy - and labour- when people had their own small garden outside their kitchen has become a ‘luxury’ that not many people have, especially in apartments in the city. And when the food and the wine from the place are paired together in that place it is even better. I think this will grow as a category with more farms offering meals as events and perhaps even creating restaurants as some already have.

We’ll also see more restaurants doing vertical integration – creating their own garden and perhaps even a small farm like some have done.

What are the small changes we can all make to reduce our impact on the planet?

I wrote an article about this.

Reducing CO2 and methane emissions is the priority. Stopping meat from intensive cattle farming, in fact any products from factory farmed animals. Finding alternative ways to commute like using a bike, walking, public transport.

For us, given we have no ‘commute’ as such since we live on the farm, it is finding ways to avoid using the tractor. For example, we trim by hand rather than with a mechanical trimmer, we mow very infrequently and time it carefully to avoid unnecessary passes.

For our accommodation, we offer collection from the local station and have a couple of bikes available for guests so people can stay here without a car.

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

The moments where I am outside working in the vines, or walking in the vineyards, or local forests with tour clients and I am filled with the joy of nature. I am also excited when people tell us they changed their habits after visiting us, that they support more organic and local, they start composting. Similarly, when people email after reading my books to say they have changed their shopping habits as a result. Feedback like this is very motivating.

Do you recycle? Should we recycle?

Absolutely. For example, aluminum can be recycled using less than 5 percent of the energy used to make the original product. Recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to run a 14-watt CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a TV for 2 hours. A glass bottle recycled saves enough energy to power a 100-watt incandescent bulb for almost an hour.

The ideal is to have nothing to recycle to use for example, re-usable containers. We used to talk about 3 R’s reduce, reuse, recyle - now we talk about 7 R’s - rethink, refuse, reduce, repurpose, reuse, rot, recycle.

What thoughts do you have on how we can reduce landfill?

Following the 7Rs as an individual, but on a national and international level there are actions that could be taken to incentivise this movement.

Make the final seller of the waste responsible, for example with a plastic tax levied on the supermarkets who are massively responsible for the single use plastics. Or go to source and charge the consumer good companies who create the products in plastic. For plastic bottle production the four worst offenders are Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Danone. They should have to pay to clean up what they create.

Then we also need to make the consumer responsible, for example with pay by weight refuse bins. This makes us all think twice about accepting unnecessary packaging when we buy a product, gives us an incentive to recycle and compost.

On home appliances the new EU law against built in obsolescence is a good step. As consumers we can stop buying from companies that don’t create goods that last and make sure they offer affordable repairs.

Even such a simple thing as a brush and pan for cleaning. A plastic one lasts a couple of years, a metal and wood version lasts a lifetime and is only a fraction more expensive.

How do you take care of yourself? What are your self-care tips?

Yoga is the most important self-care tip I can offer. Since starting yoga seriously a few years ago it has become my saviour. I also find walking, particularly in a light mixed forest really good. I am so convinced about yoga I am now a RYT200 yoga teacher.

I offer private yoga classes to people who stay at the estate and small group yoga retreats.

What’s the most interesting thing you learnt this week?

Seeing this summary video on the IPCC report. We are in a bad situation and we all need to row in and treat the climate crisis like the crisis it is. This means reducing and removing unnecessary consumption but also transforming our necessary consumption to be fossil fuel free. Each of us has a role to play in this existential situation no matter what work we do or where we live. It needs to be front and centre of every decision and action. We need massive change.

What challenges are obstructing more sustainability in your industry?

Most winegrowers still use pesticides and herbicides, so this is a major issue for sustainability. The good news is that the organic movement is growing fast, it is now just over 10% of French vineyards. More people are turning to organic regenerative agriculture.

Glass bottles are a big source of CO2 emissions and remain the only real option for storing quality, age worthy wines. Glass bottles are usually the biggest generator of CO2 for a winery business. At Chateau Feely one hectare of our forest offsets the equivalent of all the CO2 generated by the glass bottles we use. We use ‘ecova’ bottles that are engineered for energy efficiency in production and less weight. We keep pushing our suppliers to provide better solutions. For example, after years of asking for it, last year our label supplier was able to offer us 100% recycled paper for our labels.

What is on your must see or must read list right now?

The latest IPCC report summary. For a lighter read, I just finished ‘Travels with Charlie’ by Steinbeck. What a gifted writer.

What is something we should all do more of?

Walking and cycling for transport, gardening for food and yoga (movement, breathing and meditation) for a sense of bliss and fulfillment. I could do with more of these myself!

What Good News have you had / heard this week?

Reading this story about a croft farm in Scotland and finding the balance. They share so many important messages.