🐝 Bees

Bees are helpful insects that feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers. In a vineyard they live in the alleys between the rows, where flowers and grasses grow, and in meadows and hedges around. The vine itself hardly needs bees: grape flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinate themselves, helped by the wind.

So why bees in a vineyard? They support the variety of life. Many growers sow cover crops between the rows, such as clover, mustard and phacelia, whose flowers feed bees. Bees pollinate other plants around, and birds and insects that depend on them stay in the area. Such an environment helps natural protection against pests.

Chemical products harm bees. So on farms that care for biodiversity, spraying is lighter and more careful, and hives are placed near the vineyard. Sometimes growers sell honey.

Bees are part of the nature of a vineyard. Their presence suggests the vineyard is relatively healthy. They are a reminder that wine does not grow by itself but in a living environment. Alcohol is for adults.