The choice to go organic
Opting to use organic winegrowing methods sprang from a realization that we all need to respect and care for the environment far more. Now more than ever, we must choose solutions that, while they may be more difficult, protect everybody’s health and are more environmentally sustainable.
That means:
- The treatments we use in our vineyards are organically certified surface treatments, which involves ongoing actions to protect the vines (every 10-15 days and after every rainfall) for the entire period from bud break to harvest. We do not use systemic treatments.
- The strips of land between the rows of vines are left grassy and are mowed 4-5 times a year, to care for the grass and ensure the correct moisture levels at the base of the vines.
- We do not use herbicides.
- We use natural fertilizers, including green manure seed mixes.
We have also planted rose bushes in our vineyards, with their beautiful, elegant blooms.
In vineyards, roses act as “sentinels”: they show signs of any diseases first, as they are more easily attacked by parasites, and also suffer the effects of any mineral deficiencies before other plants.
Farming and viticulture techniques have evolved; some might say that nowadays, planting rose bushes in vineyards is merely a symbolic nod to an old tradition used by growers who paid close attention to biological cycles; but it’s a tradition that we wanted to embrace and share.
The organic system used at Balze Grigie is certified by the certification body SIDEL, with traceability of the entire production chain from the vine to the bottle.
