Vineyards Contribute to Ecological Protection
Our colleagues at Bodegas Marfil suffered the loss of part of their vineyard last week. No one understands the devastation of such a loss better than those who share this profession and this passion.
Beyond the material losses, this year’s work has gone up in smoke. Yet the Mas Coll vineyard proved to be one of Alella’s greatest allies. The fire swept through the forest with tremendous force. Stopping its destruction means confronting a fury that can become uncontrollable within moments. It was precisely in the vineyard that the fire slowed down, delaying its advance long enough for firefighters to contain it and bring it under control.
Within the forest ecosystem, vineyards interrupt the continuity of vegetation, slowing the spread of wildfires and giving firefighters the opportunity to get ahead of the flames.
The Centre for Forest Science and Technology of Catalonia (CTFC) understands this well and has developed the EU Fire Wine project, an initiative that promotes resilient landscapes and wildfire prevention by creating a network of wineries that contribute to better forest management.
The diversity of crops within forested landscapes strengthens regional ecology and helps prevent wildfires.
Vineyards are generous in many ways. This time, Mas Coll played a vital role in helping stop the fire and protect the rest of our territory. That charred corner of vineyard, together with the 48 hectares that burned, is a loss felt by all of us. It is the loss of part of our landscape’s lungs—a wound in the land itself.
Within the Alella Designation of Origin, we are forest, farmland, orchards, vineyards, sea, towns, and an extraordinary richness of landscapes. Alella is abundant.
“There will be more Garnacha Negra,” as Xavi from Bodegas Marfil says. We will raise a glass to that.
Wildfires continue to occur. This very week we have witnessed fires in Empordà and Vallès Occidental. Members of our local Forest Defence Associations (ADF) have been called to assist. Experiencing these events so closely reminds us all of our shared responsibility to care for our natural environment.
Thank you to everyone who contributes to the stewardship of our forests. Their health is the health of us all.
