VinNatur: Pesticide-Free Wines
Angiolino Maule's Concept Is Reality
By: Philip S. Kampe - Feb 21, 2018
What do the following Italian wines have in common?
IL Farneto (Emilia) Brut Nature
Elvira (Veneto) Pinot Grigio Frizzante 2016
La Morella (Piemonte) Timorasso 2013
La Biancara Di Angiolino Maule (Veneto) Sassaia 2016
Don Chiscotte (Campania) Fiano 2016
Lamoresca (Sicilia) Nerocapitano
Terre Di Pietra (Veneto) Valpolicella Superiore 2014
Elvira (Veneto) Carmenere 2013
Did you guess that the wineries are part of 170 producers that have the common goal of producing natural wine? They omit the use of phosphates, chemical insecticides, mechanical harvesting and anti-parasites of synthetic, systemic and cytropic origin, which are not permitted with organic farming. They shun chemical weed-killers or drying processes, mineral, organic-mineral and chemical synthesis fertilizers. Most importantly, they shun growth of GMO and Csgenic grapes or the use of GMO derived products.
Without the use of the list above, the wineries objective with their partners in the Associazione VinNatur (known as VinNatur) is to grow vines and produce quality wines using natural methods that are known in each members' unique terroir.
VinNatur wines are wines that contain ‘no pesticides.’ That is the common denominator for its members that span nine countries and thousands of acres. Membership in VinNatur is limited to winemakers who use grapes from vineyards run directly and cared for and vinified according to their guidelines. Some of major guidelines in the winery include the use of air and oxygen to oxygenate must or wine. They promote spontaneous fermentation with the exclusive use of indigenous yeasts already in the grapes and the use of carbon dioxide, azote or argon. They are used exclusively to keep wine protected from air and to saturate possible containers or equipment.
The mastermind behind VinNatur is Angiolino Maule who is dedicated to the movement and philosophy adopted by the Associazione VinNatur. As a wine producer, he knows firsthand what and how to follow the no pesticide rule. His wine from Veneto, Sassaia 2016, was a true example of pesticide free wine that had a personality of its own, bouquet and a flavor that brings you back to nature. His wine was not alone. All eight wines at the informal tasting and in-depth seminar had their own personality.
Maule said “Producing VinNatur natural wine means having the courage to face many risks without the comfort of ready, easy solutions. It means accepting commitments and obligations, which are even moral. That is why being involved in VinNatur is a choice, not an obligation. The procedure guidelines for each winery are not a point of arrival, but, rather, where you want to depart from. Our objective is to give life to dynamic and lively growth that is open to the contributions of the scientific world. In this way, we can grow healthy vines that support environmental sustainability and man.”
If you have interest in VinNatur, where to find the vineyards who produce the wines and the founder, Angiolino Maule, visit their website at:
www.vinnatur.org
If you are near Vicenza, Italy, VinNatur’s major event is called Villa Favorita and takes place in a palladian villa named Villa Favorita in Monticello di Fara, Sarego-Vicenza. The event will feature close to 170 VinNatur wineries from nine countries and will take place on April, 14-18, 2018.