Clos Fantine, an estate in the Languedoc region in the south of France, is owned by a sibling trio: Olivier, Corine, and Carole Andrieu. They have 72 acres (29 hectares) of vines made up of grape varieties that include mourvedre, aramon, terret, grenache, cinsault, syrah, and carignan.
“Every plant has its fungus. Oaks have truffles and vines have their own fungi, too, as do all the other plants in the vineyard. These fungi serve the vines by helping them absorb oligo-éléments (trace elements such as boron, copper, and iron) and mineral salts in the soil, which they transmit to the vine. In exchange, the fungus uses the vine to harvest starch since it can’t photosynthesize. There’s a beneficial exchange. This is what is called a symbiotic relationship.
What is extraordinary is that mushrooms produce filaments in the soil that can link plants to one another, so in the end there is an exchange across the whole plot. A trufficulturist told us just last week about a single mushroom filament that was found, which covered almost an entire forest of several hectares. The trees were all linked. There was a sharing of information via a single mushroom. And we think that it might be the same for the vine.
We try to support this interconnectedness. It means subtle fine-tuning, but we have really noticed a difference. There is a balance that is developing. The vines are more resistant, they’re more luminous, and their grapes are wonderful. A little like wild fruit. You can tell they are growing on vines that are not at all stressed.
If you take over a conventional vineyard, there is no symbiosis. No life. You have to start by letting other wild plants grow in order to create biodiversity. We have swarms of wasps in our vineyards, for example, and we noticed that when the swarms pass through, we don’t have problems with grape moth larvae. Maybe wasps are their natural predator, or maybe they just don’t get along. In any case, letting the wild grasses grow has encouraged lots of wasps to patrol the vineyard and we have no troublesome larvae at all.
We have over 30 wild salads and edible plants that grow in among our vines. Some pop their heads up occasionally, some are season-specific, and others are annual. They are all tastiest in spring after the first rains. Here are a few:
Amaranthe (Amaranthus): Not indigenous to the area, this used to be cultivated commercially in the 16th and 17th centuries. Nowadays, it grows wild. We eat the first growth of the plant—the very tip of the flower—when it is young and yellow.
Bladder campion (Silene vulgaris): Again, the leaves are deliciously sweet, like acacia flowers.
Crow garlic (Allium vineale): This looks like normal, cultivated garlic except that it’s much smaller and much finer. We use the bulb and cook it in a wine sauce or use the leaves to perfume fish, chopped up like chives.
Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): All parts of the dandelion are edible, but we particularly like the leaves when they are young and tender.
Marigold (Calendula officinalis): The flower is delicious, saffron-like. It adds gorgeous color to salads. You can also use the flowers in soups.
Meadow salsify (Tragopogon pratensis): Also known as meadow goat’s-beard and Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, we eat the root of this plant, which is delicious when boiled. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly rare.
Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris): Called Venus’ belly button in France, this is aptly named since it looks like a navel. Fat and round, the leaves are crunchy and great in salads.
Stone orpine (Sedum rupestre): This is a succulent with water-storing leaves and yellow flowers. It tastes a little like shrimp and we eat it en beignet (as fritters).
Wall rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia): We use the flowers as seasoning, in salads, or even for meat. They taste like pepper. Some are yellow, others white. The leaves look like normal rocket.
Wild asparagus (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum): This grows around the edges of the vineyards. We eat it mainly in omelets, chopped up into small pieces, or, even better, in a blanquette de veau (veal ragout), which is a typical French stew.
Wild leeks or ramps (Allium tricoccum): In French we call them poirots de vignes or “vineyard leeks.” Once blanched, we dip them in vinaigrette.
Wild sorrel (Rumex acetosa): We eat the leaves, blanched like spinach.”
Stone orpine (opposite) grows in the vineyard (below) at Clos Fantine.