Franck Massard Inglés - Franck Massard

DOQ Priorat / Coster GPS 41°14'17.3"N 0°49'51.9"E

Aceite de oliva / Olivos GPS 41°04'23.8"N 0°43'41.1"E

Rias Baixas / Viñedo GPS 42°27'58.7"N 8°34'58.0"W

DOQ Priorat / Almendro en Flor GPS 41°14'10.8"N 0°50'03.4"E

DO Terra Alta / Viñedo GPS 41°06'51.7"N 0°25'05.0"E

DOQ Priorat / Viñedo GPS 41°14'26.1"N 0°49'39.0"E

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International Women´s Day

Today we want to honor our working women. Where there’s

Dead Wood

What would you do with a giant, dead fig tree?

Deadlier than bears and spiders

Deadlier than bears and spiders “Killer wasps” “The biggest wasp

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A NEW CHAPTER. A NEW WINE. HUELLAS WHITE Here com

A NEW CHAPTER.
A NEW WINE.
HUELLAS WHITE

Here comes finally the new version of Huellas - A white wine from our own estate.

#winemaking #winelover #whitewine #whitegrenache

Instagram post 17931244733744496

Instagram post 17931244733744496

Instagram post 18002310553997496

Instagram post 18002310553997496

The Crested Lark (Galerida theklae) Have you hear

The Crested Lark (Galerida theklae)

Have you heard of the Crested Lark? It is a beautiful bird about 16cm long, with earthy colours, and is present all year round. What characterises it is the graceful tuft of feathers on its head, like a crest.

It can live on scrubby slopes, vineyards and stony sites.

The Crested Lark eats mostly insects and some seeds of wild plants.
And builds its nest on the ground, taking advantage of a small downward slope, or digging a slope for itself, near a clump of vegetation, stones or a thicket.

As it is such a small bird, its predators are larger birds, such as hawks and kestrels.

We can see this little bird in our farm very often, and José Antonio Latorre was able to take these beautiful pictures of them on April 26, 2023, just in the month when they start laying their eggs. It begins at the end of April-May and ranges from 3 to 4 eggs. Incubation lasts 12 to 13 days and is done by the female. Nine days after hatching, the chicks, now grown, leave the nest, although they return to it from time to time. After another week, the young can fend for themselves and then their parents can devote themselves to laying a second clutch, so that reproduction can continue until August.

As always, seeing the wide variety of biodiversity we have in our vineyards is proof that our work to improve the quality of our environment is working.

We will continue to keep you updated.

#franckmassardwines #biodiversity #birdphotography #faunasilvestre #florafaunayprimavera #winemaking #vineyards

The medioluto inés butterfly (Melanargia ines) T

The medioluto inés butterfly (Melanargia ines)

This beautiful butterfly, which measures between 2.3 and 2.9 cm, is catalogued as "Endangered, due to the scarce populations currently known and the extinction they have suffered in recent decades".

It lives in grasslands, in open spaces, from sea level to about 1000 m. altitude.

It has a spring flight period from April to May and the female lays her eggs on various species of grasses of the genus Stipa. These will be the nutritious plants on which the caterpillars feed, which will survive winter without having completed their cycle.

The following year when temperatures begin to rise, the caterpillars will complete their development by transforming into the chrysalis from which the beautiful butterflies we observe in our vineyards will emerge.

#franckmassardwines #winesfromspain #winelovers #winemakers #wineisanart #biodiversity #ecology #naturelovers #butterflies

Being able to enjoy a glass of my wine in the vine

Being able to enjoy a glass of my wine in the vineyards allows me to connect even more with my senses. Would you like to enjoy a wine tour in El Priorat?

#franckmassardwines #winelover #winemaker #wineisanart #vineyards #doqpriorat

A few weeks ago my colleague, José Antonio Latorr

A few weeks ago my colleague, José Antonio Latorre, naturalist and expert in biodiversity, told me something very curious about the work taking place in the vineyard. But not by human workers... by an individual bee!

José was in one of our plots of flowering white Garnacha, and he saw how this bee reached the first vines in the row, landed on the cluster of flowers and, as José says, "grazed on" the nectar very enthusiastically.

The curious thing is that dried or malformed fragments of the plant were falling in its path.

So this pollinating activity the bee was carrying out may have accelerated the flowering process by removing the dead petals. It was collaborating in obtaining more balanced and quality bunches...

And this process was repeated on each and every vine in the same row!

Should I pay him a salary like the rest of the workers?!

#bees🐝 #winelover #winemaker #sommelier #franckmassardwines #winestagram #winesfromspain #doqpriorat #biodiversity #ecology #naturephotography

Every visit to the winery is a good time to see ho

Every visit to the winery is a good time to see how my wines are evolving.

#sommelier #franckmassardwines #winery #winemaker #winemaking #wineglobe #viticulture #wineisanart

We keep working in the vineyard; taking care of th

We keep working in the vineyard; taking care of the vineyard is a continuous task and goes far beyond watering and harvesting the grapes. Each season of the year has specific tasks, in order to maintain the vineyard well and to guarantee an excellent quality in the wines.

We are currently finishing the green pruning process. It is a complement to winter pruning, but it is one of the most important, because it allows us to obtain high quality grapes.

It is about eliminating the shoots or stems that we know will not have grapes, so we balance the growth of the vine. It ensures that the strongest stems continue to develop in the best way. This means that the nutritional strength of the plant will be concentrated in fewer shoots to feed, so the plant will perform more efficiently.

This is done when the stems are between 10 and 20cm long. It is a manual process, a very delicate task carried out by expert vineyard workers. It requires patience and time, since it is necessary to go vine by vine.

But it is essential to guarantee the quality and character of the wines.

I will keep you updated on how the work is progressing as the harvest approaches, so stay tuned for the next publications 😉.

#franckmassardwines #winestagram #winesfromspain #doqpriorat #winemaking #pruning #wineisanart #vineyards

Nature Network 2000 (Places of community interest

Nature Network 2000 (Places of community interest and zones for protection of birds) (15 de Junio 2023)

As I mention time after time, El Priorat is a jewel of our natural environment. It continues to impress me just as much as it did the first time I saw it... And I’m not just saying that for the sake of it, it really has a lot of value.
The Siurana River and the hilly Priorat are registered in the official list of the Estado as Red Natura 2000 (European ecological network of biodiversity conservation areas). Within it we have the LICs (Lugares de Interés Comunitario – or - Sites of Community Interest) and ZEPA (Zona de Especial Protección para las AVES - or - Special Protection Areas for Birds).
Currently, El Priorat is part of what in Europe is known as a Site of Community Importance.
According to European agreements, these protective statuses help the conservation of those areas where species of community interest live, due to their rarity, vulnerability or because they are in danger of disappearing. This coincides with the best preserved landscapes that favour the conservation of fauna and flora.
That is why it is so important that we continue to carry out work that favours and facilitates this restoration, the work that maintains the balance of ecosystems and the biodiversity of both the fauna and flora of our vineyards.

#franckmassardwines #winemaker #winelover #winephotographers #wineenthusiastlife #vineyards #biodiversity #biology #fauna #flora #summer2023

The 21st of June marked the summer solstice. In Ca

The 21st of June marked the summer solstice. In Catalonia, people are worried about the drought but in our village in the Priorat mother nature is on our side. We had a few showers; 12 liters on 6th June and 39 liters on 14th June cooling down the environment and bringing precious water to our vines.
The berries are swelling rapidly, finger cross so far so good…

#franckmassardwines #winemaking #winemaker #sommelier #winelovers #vineyards #doqpriorat #winesfromspain #summertime #summer2023

Memories of the 2021 harvest in our Coster. Seeing

Memories of the 2021 harvest in our Coster. Seeing these photos reminds me that it is getting closer to being back in the vineyard; buckets up, buckets down, loading the tractors with boxes, the smell of grapes, the sun, laughter... Working side by side with my team is always a privilege to be able to continue making our DOQP wines.

#tbt #winemaking #winemaker #winelovers #harvest #memories #doqpriorat #sommelier #franckmassard #franckmassardwines #grapes #winesfromspain

Winemaking Blog - May Update May has been a busy

Winemaking Blog - May Update

May has been a busy month in the vineyard. After applying fertilizer and pre-pruning, it was time to continue preparing the vines to bear fruit soon.
During this month we have carried out the following work:
- applying sulphur treatment to the vine: this technique guarantees good growth and performance as well as protecting the vine from fungi such as mildew and powdery mildew.
- Pheromone application: this treatment is essential to prevent the reproduction of the grape moth. It is 100% natural and environmentally friendly, and does not alter the quality or flavour of the grapes as it is completely chemical-free.
- Green pruning.
- Training the vine: this serves to help the vine grow in a more optimal way along the wires and ends up giving better quality grapes.
- Placing straw in the vineyard (I will explain the benefit of this practice later on, it is VERY interesting what we have discovered!)
- Weeding and clearing the plots.
And finally, after a few months of quite scarce water and drought due to lack of rain, it rained in Priorat! We counted 38L of water, which although it is a small amount, it is always welcome and relieved the dryness of the vineyard a little...
This is what has happened this month of May in our plots.
I will keep you informed of how the work in the vineyard is progressing.
Best regards,
Franck.

#franckmassardwines #winemaking #winemaker #sommelier #winelovers #vineyards #doqpriorat #winesfromspain #summertime #summer2023

Aromatic plants As part of our biodiversity projec

Aromatic plants
As part of our biodiversity project we have started to re-vegetate - add to the plant life - in the vineyard with more native plants, in two areas in particular. One of them is the ravine that you can see in the photos (in a previous post you also saw the ravine, because it is a wildlife crossing).
Re-vegetation is a practice that consists of enhancing some of the indigenous species that we can find in the area, but nevertheless scarce in our farm and vineyards, where the original plant formations are degraded or altered.
It has many benefits for the environment, and fulfils a series of objectives, such as improving soil stability, protecting it from erosion, conserving humidity and maintaining a balance of minerals and microorganisms.
For all these reasons, we believe it is important to invest time in these issues.
We started this project in 2019 before the pandemic, but due to the isolation, rains and storms that affected the vineyard, we unfortunately lost the work done.
So we have started this process again. We hope that this time it will work so that we can continue to take care of our environment.

#biodiversity #ecology #ecofriendly #nature #naturephotography #winemaking #winemaker #sommeliers #doqpriorat

Wildlife crossings The presence of roads and tran

Wildlife crossings

The presence of roads and transportation routes is an obvious necessity; we all make use of vehicles. However, the presence of these transport routes in more natural environment creates a negative impact, since they threaten the safety of fauna, including the animals that inhabit our vineyards.

A solution is “Wildlife crossings”. They are structures that cross a road like a bridge, overpasses made of netting, wooden poles or even tunnels under the road. Thus, facilitating the passage of animals in the environment and reducing the risks of traffic accidents.

In our vineyard we have wildlife crossings that promote the safety of wildlife, such as this one located on a bridge, under the road.

Another natural wildlife passage is the ravine inside the vineyard itself, which can be used as a path for animals such as wild boars.

#biodiversity #wildlife #biology #ecosystem #biodiversitat #environment #ecofriendly #doqpriorat #winemaking #sommelier #naturelovers

I wanted to produce a Priorat wine that was the tr

I wanted to produce a Priorat wine that was the true reflection of the terroir and the minerality so particular to this area and thus achieve the freshness that is often lacking in the region. A wine that is a beauty, a simple and elegant wine.

The grapes have been carefully selected and have been grown in vineyards located on very steep terraces, with adequate exposure to sunlight to reach the optimum ripeness point.

In the cellar, we perform a gentle extraction and the wine partially matures in the barrel to provide stability and complexity without losing the freshness of its fruity character.

#franckmassardwines #winelovers #winemaker #sommeliers #doqpriorat #whitewine #whitegrenache

The Ocellated lizard (Lacerta lepidus) Among the f

The Ocellated lizard (Lacerta lepidus)
Among the fauna of the vineyard, we find this medium-sized reptile; the ocellated lizard. It can measure up to 20cm counting only from the head to its body; if we include the tail it could be up to double!
We can find it in crop fields, orchards with open spaces, hedges, bushes, stone walls, rocks and grasslands.
Although the lizard normally feeds on insects (mealy bugs, grasshoppers, beetles, bees) it does not reject snails, earthworms or spiders. Adult specimens can consume small vertebrates and even fruit. This ability to access various foods indicates the healthy condition of our vineyard.
Their breeding season begins in April or early May. That is why both males and females at this time are very colourful and striking; in order to attract the attention of a possible partner.
At the end of May or June, the females lay from 6 to 23 eggs (oval and elongated). They usually lay these in tree cavities or between rocks.
The most characteristic predators of our protagonist are snakes and the short-toed eagle.

Credit for source of information:
José Antonio Latorre
latorrejimenez.jose@gmail.com
joselatorre.wordpress.com

#franckmassardwines #biodiversidade #biodiversity #winemaker #vineyards #ecology #ecofriendly #consciousness

Instagram post 17984129027121698

Instagram post 17984129027121698

Winemaking is my passion. It is what motivates me

Winemaking is my passion. It is what motivates me and moves me to do what I do. It is a process of constant learning and evolution. Follow your passion, and the rest will come by itself.

#franckmassard #winemaking #winemaker #sommelierlife🍷 #doqpriorat #workhard #passion #winelover

Since we have noticed that our soil is healthier w

Since we have noticed that our soil is healthier with a straw cover. Increase in organic matter, increase in activities of micro-organisms, increase in enzymatic reactions. We are gradually adding straw on our soil.

Healthy soil = Healthy vines = Better wine 🍷

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