Environmental Responsibility
Since it was first built in 1868, Domaine des Tourelles was conceived by the French Brun family to operate in a natural free-energy system, given the limited resources of that time. This ideal and avant-gardist model was achieved thanks to an interesting series of wise measures, allying the building’s techniques to its environment.
Some examples include:
- The winery’s architecture which allows a minimum exposure to sunshine (particularly for the fermentation section) reducing the overall undesirable heat.
- Inside the building, the hundred-year-old concrete tanks also naturally conserve the fresh temperatures within the vats’ thick walls which reduces the need for refrigeration machinery during the fermentation process.
- Another old technique that is still in use today is the pumping of naturally cold water from an adjacent river (originating from the melt of snow) to cool down the spirits’ distillation process in the alembics (liquefaction), preventing hence the usage of any refrigeration energy.
- We are also proud to keep using a very old filtration technique consisting of dried-up thistle rose plants (available in the wild nature around the winery) as we take advantage of their natural shape and thorns that act as an efficient filter!
Coming to more recent times, Domaine des Tourelles remains faithful to its longstanding ecofriendly heritage by implementing the following protocol measures:
- Organic farming and minimal intervention in the winemaking process, from the vines that are never chemically treated to the fermentation that is 100% natural and exclusively done with the winery’s own indigenous yeasts.
- Usage of locally-made sugar cane and bamboo sticks in the new vines’ plantation instead of the usual metallic/industrial sticks.
- Installation of a photovoltaic power station to generate the main energy needs of the winery from 100% clean solar resource.
- Waste water management by building a modern pond to collect all the factory’s used water and turning it into clean water that is 100% safe for its release into nature.
- Recycling of the used wines and spirits bottles collected from the clients which allows their reusage in the market. - Collection of cartons, plastic, and glass from the winery team members in order to process them with specialized recycling parties.
- Turning the grape and aniseed pomaces into compost that is either used as a natural fertilizer in the vineyards or given to the shepherds to feed their herds.
- Shifting to lighter weight series of glass bottles that have a reduced carbon footprint.
Social Responsibility
At Domaine des Tourelles, we strongly believe in our obligation to act for the benefit of society at large.
- First of all, on the human resources level, all our employees are coming from nearby villages, as welook forward to anchoring them in their land through the winery’s job opportunities. Without a decentjob that is close to their home, they would be obliged to emigrate to the city (Beirut or other) or even toother countries abroad.
- Commercially, we highly support Lebanese artisans by reselling their products in our shops as part ofour gift bundles (for example the glassblowing cups and carafes, wine-related accessories and items,etc.).
- In the winery, we have opted for 100% locally-made cheeses that we serve to the visitors during thetour and tasting. They are always very happy to discover the rich local terroir and know-how as theyenjoy international varieties of cheeses all made with high quality by small local producers.
Yes, we are always committed to sustainability and to the wellbeing of our community!
