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In order to achieve a more balanced ecosystem in our vineyards we began, some time ago the process of moving away from the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the cultivation of our vineyards.
We wanted to get, not only a simple replacement of conventional chemicals, but to be more careful in soil management; aiming to restore ecological balance which the prolonged use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides has weakened over the years – despite the fact that GUERRIERI RIZZARDI has been, since the 1980s, very moderate in our use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
The end result of this multi-year project, will be the production of grapes and wine by organic methods.
The project is at its most advanced stage in our Valpolicella estate in Negrar where:
• Since 2001: we have gradually been reducing the use of chemical fertilizers in favour of organic fertilizers.
• From vintage 2014: total abandonment of chemical herbicides on the weeds between the rows of vines; replaced by a mechanical operation performed with a blade – to clean the line of weeds. Three passes per year are needed to clean the soil from weeds.
• From vintage 2015: total abandonment of synthetic chemical pesticides in favour of conventional products (mainly copper and sulphur) to give the vines protection against powdery mildew, downy mildew, moths lives and botrytis.
The result is that at present all Guerrieri Rizzardi vineyards of Valpolicella are grown organically and the aim is to gradually extend this approach to our other estates in Bardolino, Soave and Valdadige.
Giuseppe & Agostino Rizzardi