The “biological soil fertility” project has started

by Stefano Zaninotti, agronomist of Vitenova Vine Wellness

13 wineries will be taking part in the three-year project “biological soil fertility of the VinNatur companies”. They are located throughout Veneto, Trentino, Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Campania and Puglia. They took part in the small reality project (even 1.5 Ha of vineyards) up to structured companies with 20 and more hectares.

There was one common denominator: curiosity. Becoming familiar with, more knowledgeable on and evaluating the soil helps be more aware of the ability of the “vineyard environment” to “give” grapes and wine that correspond with the territory. Just one “curiosity” in truth sparked off a thousand questions: physically touching and collecting the soil, evaluating its “strength”, the power of the vine roots, their colour, their disposition and many other observations amazed this article writer as much as the vine growers.
The personal welcome to the company, without euphemisms, was humanly enthusiastic. I have always met vine growers with very open minds and visions; they immediately made available everything necessary for working at best: their time (at least half a day), the most suitable instruments, willpower and strength (everyone tried digging a hole of 40-50 cm deep with a spade and/or pick in their own territory).

While collecting the soil, there was time to speak about what would be done analytically, the practical implications of the results we obtain. The observations of those who know the soil, of those who live in vineyards, will be important for correctly evaluating the “numbers” that will be obtained from the biological and chemical-physical analyses. Also collecting these observations and impressions will help us produce a better “drawing” of the reality that we normally do not see, the subsoil.

The company that takes part in this project is aware that experimenting is not just done inside its own reality, but that the results will be even more important and more valuable because shared with another 12 VinNatur companies. I distinctively understood the intention and iron will of wanting to follow new wine roads that are still unexplored, and which can only be followed if the information and experience is shared between companies that have the same objective: respecting nature, the vine, wine and man.

The Wineries:

• Cà del Vent – Franciacorta
• Corte Sant’Alda – Valpolicella
• Costadilà – Prosecco
• Castello di Stefanago – Oltrepò
• Daniele Piccinin – Monti Lessini
• Elisabetta Foradori – Trentino
• Franco Masiero – Vicenza
• Il Cancelliere – Irpinia
• La Biancara – Gambellara
• Natalino del Prete – Puglia
• Santa Maria – Montalcino
• Cascina Roera – Asti
• Valli Unite – Colli Tortonesi