About

François Cavallino is an organic winegrower based in Laudun-l'Ardoise, in the Rhône Valley, France, where he has run his own vineyard since 2012. He manages the estate single-handedly, carrying out all vineyard work himself, from pruning and disbudding to cleft grafting of new scions onto established rootstocks. Winemaking and marketing are handled by Maison Sinnae, the growers' cooperative on the right bank of the Rhône, of which he is a member. His approach focuses on maximising biodiversity, improving water retention, reducing inputs to a minimum, and building a low-carbon system, with no-till management and spontaneous legume cover between the rows. Alongside his farm work, he serves as an MSA delegate and is trained by the regional health agency (ARS) as a suicide prevention sentinel for the farming community.