The Vistorta Farm of Sacile hosted a conference with the leading representatives of organic viticulture. A more and more frequent choice, the logical evolution of an agriculture that looks ahead
A moment of encounter and exchange of expertise in the presence of more than 300 farmers and operators in the vine–growing and wine–making industry: an audience beyond expectations that crowded the old barns of the farm to hear from the live voice of some of the leading national experts the motivations and advantages of converting to organic, experiences and difficulties.
An event that was strongly backed by Brandino Brandolini d’Adda, owner of the Vistorta Farm, who intended, in this way, to sensitize other companies to grow in commitment towards sustainable and responsible viticulture: «Going towards organic farming – Brandolini explains – resulted natural to us. Today, with this conference, we have started a process we hope would bring Vistorta to be an example and a crossroads of experiences for a better agriculture».
The meeting had as starting point the reasons that lead to conversion, discussed by Enzo Mescalchin of the E. Mach Foundation of San Michele all’Adige, who reported the experiences of those who have found in organic viticulture a logical choice: «The best defense is not to have new weapons, but to know the enemy» Mescalchin summed up, who then brought attention to the terroir, pointing out that «through the organic we returned to talk about the soil».
On the terroir, Anna Benedetti, Director of the Research Center for the Study of the Relations between Plant and Soil of Rome, focused her attention, too: «In the soil we have 95% of the planet’s biodiversity – she explained – to animals and plant the remaining 5%. In effect, the soil should be considered a living organism, and therefore we speak of soil respiration. It has its own metabolism and lives on the substances that the organisms that live there bear».
About soil, Luca Conte, an agronomist, continued to speak, explaining in detail how the Analysis of the Spade takes place: this is a simple but very useful tool to know your own soil starting from the abstraction and the observation of a lump of earth.
Then, Giovanni Bigot, of Perleuve of Cormons, intervened and explained how to defend your own vineyard without chemistry, bringing the experience of 15 years in Friuli Venezia Giulia. He highlighted the importance of knowledge and of observation in the field, where the transition to organic must be above all a change of attitude, in which to replace the synthetic substances with copper and sulphur is not enough.
Then, the reality of the bio–districts of Tuscany was presented, with Ruggero Mazzilli, of the Experimental Station for Sustainable Viticulture of Panzano in Chianti, where organic vineyards are now 95%. «Involving everyone – he said – for us is the maximum protection with minimum effort, because if everybody moves in the same direction it is easier to get results».
Pierluigi Donna, of the SATA Agronomists of Rovato, presented the experience of Franciacorta, from which a method for assessing the biodiversity of a wine company has been generated and extended to other Italian regions. A methodology that, starting from the analysis of the physical and structural features of the soil goes on to assess the disposition of the company to host biodiversity, up to the assessment of behaviours and of operating methods.
Space, finally, to the debate chaired by Cristina Micheloni of AIAB–FVG. Here, in addition to the speakers, Lorenzo Mocchiutti of the Vignai da Duline Company and Brandino Brandolini d’Adda, of the Vistorta farm, intervened, too: it was an opportunity to define with the public present new targets for the future for organic farms.
Source: Cs Studio Cru
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19/05/2015
