The fight against vineyard pests and diseases has gone through different phases over the centuries. Industrialization led to mass production of wine, which in turn meant that industrial pesticides and herbicides had to be applied in large quantities and without any phytosanitary limitations to control vine diseases.

As we respect nature and want to maintain soil and ecosystem integrity, we do not want to apply any phytosanitary products – even though it would be more cost efficient and we would need less staff.

One of the most recurring threats to the vine is the Cluster Moth (Lobesia botrana), which attacks the vine from different sides and at different stages of the vegetative cycle of the plant.

In spring, the adults lay eggs on the flower buds which will then be destroyed by its larvae. In summer and with good temperatures, they directly attack the grape by producing erosion and holes in the plant, inviting other unwanted guests like the fearsome Botrytis cinerea, a necrotrophic fungus.

And what do we do at Grifoll Declara to combat this pest without applying phytosanitary methods? We use the “Sexual Confusion” method.

This is how it’s done: We use sexual confusion traps which keep grape moths from invading the vineyard. This 6-centimeter-long biodegradable tape releases a high dose of female pheromones to confuse the male moths and to prevent them from finding their mates.

It’s better to “confuse” than to exterminate.

Vineyards shape important ecological systems, and we must respect this. Only if we take care of our environment and we respect its cycles, will it take care of us in return. We are proud to be working with this sustainable system.