Vinya del Serrat

The Serrat Vineyard extends along the southeastern slope of a small hill located on the edge of the urban center of Sant Climent, flanked on one side by the road that leads to Espolla and coll de Banyuls, and on the other, the road that leads to Vilartolí and Requesens. The hill rises just over 100 meters above sea level, is made up of red slate, which emerges with rock formations at its summit. It is there that young vines of Grenache Noir are planted, forming winding terraces, while down the valley, there is Muscat d'Alexandria and Frontinhan. A row of cypress trees divides the two types of Muscat. On the edges of the vineyard grow heather, steppes and donkey's heads, some almond trees and some cork oaks. Many birds roam around, such as larks, wagtails, wagtails and tudons. It is easy to see kestrels watching from the telephone pole waiting for prey to appear: in the vineyard there are rabbits, mice, snakes and, when it rains, toads and frogs. In the summer, an electric fence is placed around the vineyard to keep wild boars from eating the grapes. Next to the cypress trees is an old nursery for preparing Bordeaux wine, reminiscent of the work that was done in the vineyard before the mechanization of the field. Today, although tractors are used, treatment is still carried out only with copper and sulfur, as was done by previous generations. Herbicides have never been used in the vineyards and for a few years now the population of insects that damage the grapes has been controlled by sexual confusion. When the weather is good, sprays are placed in the corners of the vineyard. These are diffusers that emit the odors given off by the females of insects that we do not want to be in the vineyard. The males are confused by all these odors, they are not able to find the female and they are prevented from choosing the muscats as a place to reproduce. By minimizing treatments and using natural products, a great diversity of species can flourish in the vineyards and there is a biological balance.