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What do we think of
Organic Wine
Many small winemakers in Italy work organically. This means that the grapes they use to make wine are grown without using chemical products such as fertilizers and pesticides. Almost all of our winemakers work completely organically, but this does not always mean that they have the BIO certificate. In Italy, and in many other countries, obtaining this certificate is a bureaucratic and expensive process. As a result, some of our winemakers choose not to obtain the certificate, but this does not make their wine any less organic.
The Philosophy of the Small Winemaker
Small winemakers have a totally different philosophy compared to the large industrial producers whose wines we find in the supermarket. For the small winemaker, it's about quality, not quantity. The only way to compete with the big winemakers is by making a qualitatively superior product, as they will never win on efficiency. For many farmers, organic grape cultivation is a logical concequence of this. More often than not, we hear from our winemakers: “Of course I work organically, it’s the only way for me.”
More Important than a Certificate
For us, this philosophy is actually more important than the BIO-certificate. Of course, the certificate guarantees that the winemaker has been checked by authorities, but by frequently visiting all our farmers, observing their farms and vineyards, we have built the same trust. The small Italian winemaker is proud of his wines, proud of the way he makes them, and proud of his vineyards.
A Little History Lesson
People have been making wine for more than 9000 years. Until about 70 years ago, all this wine was organic, but this changed after the Second World War. With the rapid growth of the chemical industry and an unrelenting drive for more production, a large majority of winemakers chose to use chemical aids in grape cultivation. This led to a spectacular increase in production capacity but at the expense of quality. A small group of farmers chose to maintain organic principles, but they did not believe in modernizing the vinification process also.
Technological Development
In the period since the Second World War, a lot has changed in the technology of winemaking. This technological development had already taken conventional (non-bio) winemaking to a higher level. Despite the mediocre quality of the grapes and artificially forced fermentation and maturation, by using flavor- and aroma-enhancers acceptable wines could still be produced. We do not believe in these “artificial wines” with various additives to mask the poor quality of the grapes, but we do believe in using modern techniques to improve the vinification process.
The Best of Both Worlds: Modern Technology and BIO
Only in the last 20 years have modern technology and organic cultivation come together. Small organic winemakers are now adopting modern vinification techniques. This ensures that the best grapes are now being vinified with the best techniques. This simply results in the best wines, without additives, better for the environment, and healthier to drink.
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Linda in the Mezzogiorno
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