The Bastide de Blacailloux winery – a 110-hectare property in Provence – has invested in a greenhouse that filters its effluents using specific plants grown with an aquaponic system. This innovative process has never been used for winegrowing in France. The decision to test a new method of effluent management was made two years ago when the property's owners, the Chamoin family, began a renovation and refurbishment program of their facilities. "To carry out our cleaning operations, we use water but are not connected to the mains sewerage system. So we looked for a way of retreating water so that we could re-use it". The aquaponic greenhouse marketed by Azuvia got the seal of approval.
The effluents run into gutters and converge in a tank where they are then pumped and sent into a treatment system. "The effluents pass through what is known as waste stabilization plants grown off-ground and in tiers", explains cellar master Wladimir Holobinka. "There are around fifteen different species including the dwarf papyrus, yellow flag, and the bulrush. Their role is to capture mineral matter and act as hosts for bacteria, assimilating the sludge produced by the bacteria. At the end of the process, the water is filtered".
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