Salcheto, a winery located in the Montepulciano area, has been a pioneer of an ecological approach to viticulture and winemaking. Its main goal is to produce high-quality wines while respecting the surrounding environment. Its story began in the 1980s, but it was only in the late 1990s that the estate specialised in wine production, soon committing itself to an ecological approach and to energy efficiency.
As we learn from their website (https://10years.salcheto.it), thanks to practices such as the installation of solar skylights; the fine-tuning of effective and efficient irrigation; the use of a ventilation system that harnesses the energy produced by the fermentation of the must; and the installation of geothermal and photovoltaic systems, the company has saved, over ten years, more than 1,100,000 kilowatt hours of energy.
‘At Salcheto we believe that a business must set itself, from its initial project, goals of continuous improvement of its environmental and social sustainability, as well as its economic sustainability’, we read, again online (https://salcheto.it/it/). Sustainability, in fact, is not limited to energy production, since Salcheto also uses organic farming methods, such as growing vines without the use of synthetic chemicals, and applying integrated pest management techniques to protect the vines from pests and diseases. The result is a healthier terroir, stronger vines and a higher-quality wine production.
Salcheto is one of the few wine producers to draw up a Sustainability Report, to make its good environmental practices known, and to adopt a Welfare Plan for its employees. It was also the first company in the world to certify the Carbon Footprint (that is, the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions) of a bottle of wine. Anyone who buys a bottle of Salcheto therefore knows exactly how much it has impacted the environment.
Another example of a wine producer that adopts good sustainable practices in Tuscany is Querciabella. Located in the Greve in Chianti area, it was one of the first in Italy to obtain organic certification for all its vineyards, in the 1980s. Querciabella’s philosophy is based on the concept of the ‘ecosystem’, and thus on the idea that the quality of its wines is closely linked to the health of the soil and the surrounding environment. The company therefore places particular emphasis on biodiversity, encouraging the presence of insects and plants that benefit the vines.
‘We believe that wines characteristic of the terroir can only develop when the roots of the vine are able to sustain their symbiotic interaction with their natural environment’, they state on their website (https://querciabella.com/philosophy/), highlighting the depth of their business philosophy.
These are just a few examples of the commitment of Tuscan wine producers to the production of organic and sustainable wine, as there are others who are carrying out research, and implementing new strategies, to reduce the environmental impact of their activities.
All this is a tangible sign of how the wine industry, starting from tradition and looking to the future, is adapting its practices in order to respond to growing concerns about the environment. These companies demonstrate that it is possible to produce quality wines without compromising the health of the planet. All that remains, therefore, is to hope that they can set an example for others, for an ever greener future.
