Passione e ragione

Guidelines for sustainable development

The guidelines for our pathway cater for a production management system in keeping with the most advanced scientific know-how and long-standing experience gained over the years. The operating protocol sets out to calibrate every intervention so that the needs of the winery coincide with those of environmental sustainability.

Responsibilities and competence

The winery will be examined with the aim of identifying its particular environmental and production characteristics: the vineyards and their potential in terms of quality, their position and type of soil, the winemaking facilities; areas not set aside for growing will also be examined. The goal is to bring to the fore the qualities that can be used to draw up an economically beneficial and environmentally-friendly plan which is suited to the estate’s context.

The winery’s development strategies are planned through continuous improvement targets developed in keeping with the capabilities acquired during the application of the protocol.

Basic training and project sharing will be increased through exchanges and development meetings.

Soil protection and conservation

Soil management prevents its deterioration and the loss of nutritional substances, and helps develop its active elements and create the conditions for correct development of the vines.
All the measures required to respond to the needs of soil conservation must be adopted by choosing the most appropriate for meeting the winery’s specific requirements. The methods which can be used are working of the soil, mulching and grass regeneration. The choice must be made taking into account the risk of erosion, the type of soil and the winemaking objectives.
Though the practice of grass regeneration is desirable due to the benefits it brings in terms of quality and the environment, it does not exclude the others. The association aims to reduce soil compaction through both the use of grass cover and a reduction in the use of machinery.
As well as being carried out in conformity with current regulations, the preparation of land for new plantings must be performed in a way that respects the environment, without making substantial changes in agro-farming and landscaping terms.
The addition of organic substance during planting is considered beneficial for the improvement and maintenance of the fertility of the soil.
The choice of the varieties and stock must be in keeping with the environmental characteristics and must be certified.
Planting the rows following the lie of the land is not recommended on steep slopes due to the tendency for erosion; if it cannot be avoided, grass regeneration is to be performed between the rows.
Any surface areas which are not directly involved in the vinegrowing will also be subject to appropriate maintenance in order to maintain a high degree of environmental biodiversity.

Towards zero impact wine

The controlling of disease - inseparable from production activities - enables the obtaining of the correct quantity of qualitatively sound product. The strategy must, however, focus on integrated pest management systems that prioritize agronomic and organic plant protection methods and are designed to reduce the number of treatments. The winery must implement an observation plan - both individual and collective - by using external experts or forecasting services that provide indications on the need for taking action.
The traceability of protection operations is a fundamental tool in their correct management.
The choice of products to use must focus on reducing the environmental impact, and must be part of the guidelines provided by the association. Active ingredients will be selected taking into consideration their toxicological category, residue limits, half-life times, risk phrases and side effects. The use is required of health products which are registered for the crop to be treated, taking into account the restrictions laid down by regional RDPs and the stricter, lower impact limits established by this association. The association’s guidelines focus on the exclusion of more toxic active ingredients, and at the same time the reduction of medium-risk ingredients through their replacement with products identified as unclassified or organic, all supported by sound agronomic pest management. Excluded in any case are all commercial products which are harmful for human health and bear the following risk phrases: H300, H301, H310, H311, H330, H331, H302, H312, H332, H334, H340, H341, H350, H351, H360, H361, H370, H371, H372, H373, H304.

Product quality, safety and promotion

The association’s aim is to produce healthy, high quality wines that are an expression of their terroir. Correct vineyard management must focus on the use of sound growing practices in order to have well-balanced plants capable of producing the right yields and benefiting ripening processes.
The right degree of ripeness and the soundness of the grapes are essential in being able to produce wines capable on their own of achieving high levels of qualitative equilibrium. In the knowledge that while quality starts out in the vineyard, it can be enhanced by winemaking and maturing processes, we dedicate all possible attention to this phase too.
Traditional winemaking practices are encouraged, and recourse to physical factors is incentivized. The use of harmless additives is permitted, but practices aimed at their reduction are rewarded.
The quality, and varietal and terroir properties of the wines obtained are guaranteed by analysis, as are respect for the environment and the soundness of the wine by means of analysis of residues. The aim is not to achieve residues within the legal limits; it is to eliminate them completely, and to guarantee for the consumer a wine which is free of unnatural substances.

Preserving and conserving natural resources, and safeguarding the landscape

Water, soil and air are precious resources. The management of waste water and other waste is part of the assessment of sustainability projects, and must be aimed at their reduction and low-impact disposal. The waste water produced in wineries is to be disposed of in compliance with national or local regulations. The association incentivizes the recovery of water from the washing carried out in the cellar, and its use for agricultural purposes.
By-products and product residue are to be considered a resource and destined as far as possible to re-use. Knowing the types of residue produced in the winery and their classification in relation to their risks and/or destination is of fundamental importance. The disposal method provided for by law must be implemented for each type of residue, and traceability records must be kept. The provision of a place for their storage will not be obligatory, and complies also with the requirement of an orderly, clean environment within the visible radius around the winery.
Particular attention should be paid to the equipment used for the dispensing of products onto plants. Technically, it must meet the requirement of reducing the impact on the environment, and be used with the aim of reducing the volume of water and derivatives. Water used in washing equipment is to be recovered and re-used.
The efficiency of dispensing equipment must be compatible with current regulations, while the efficiency of the distribution must be checked in the field, following the directions for use provided by the manufacturer.

PTS 12 GOLDEN RULES

The member winery undertakes to abide by the following code of conduct

Management of vineyards using low environmental impact techniques;
Reduction in resources used;
Traceability of vineyard and cellar practices;
Economic sustainability and innovation;
Respect for the landscape and biodiversity;
Respect for workers and their safety;
No use of residual products, mancozeb or T+, T, Xn toxicity class products;
No use of pest control products which are harmful for human health, identifiable with risk phrases (R 40, R 48, R 60, R 61, R 62, R 63, R 66, R 67, R 68);
No use of GM winemaking additives or allergens, or of forcing techniques;
Reduction in the amount of sulfites allowed;
Tasting and varietal compliance of wines produced;
Passing by all wines produced of multi-residue analyses;