Residuo Ø

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Created: Wednesday, 12 March 2014 15:46

Written by Super User

ZERO RESIDUE

Is it possible to create a wine that is GUARANTEED TO HAVE ZERO CHEMICAL RESIDUES?

Cantina Sant'Isidoro is already doing this

WHAT IS ZERO RESIDUE

Cantina Sant'Isidoro's mission is to continue to add value to our wines.

n 2017, we began a journey that peaked in 2021 and was inspired by our surrounding hills: a perfect balance of flora, fauna and local traditions.

After a demanding transformation programme, our wines from the 2021 vintage will boast ZERO RESIDUE certification.

ZERO RESIDUE certification is characterised by the total absence of any chemical traces from chemical treatments and/or herbicides in the grapes and then consequently, in the wine.

Let us say it again.

SO WHY THEN, DO MOST OF THE REST NOT USE ZERO RESIDUE?

There are 2 main reasons for this.

The first is that choosing ZERO RESIDUE means investing in your product.

esides labour and high-quality, 100% natural products, t is essential to hire a consultant to set up the process, a certification body to check the products used and to perform chemical analyses on grapes and wines.

The second reason, on the other hand, is even more profound and more structured: the use of 100% natural products alone (which are called "bioresistance inducers") IS NOT SUFFICIENT to guarantee complete protection of the vineyard.

A great deal of labour is requiredfor the correct handling of the vineyard during green pruning: from the budding to the harvesting of the grapes.

These are all operations (the trimming, the pruning of the vine shoots, the defoliation) that facilitate ventilation and solar radiation within the vineyard.

In this way, the proliferation of pathogens can be prevented.

ZERO RESIDUE REALLY MEANS ZERO CHEMICAL RESIDUES IN WINE

Our ZERO RESIDUE certification certifies the absence of any chemical residue in the grapes and consequently in the wine from herbicides, plant protection products and synthetic products.

It represents the culmination of our conversion to highly sustainable viticulture.

An inspection body, after checking the vineyard logbook with the register of treatments, performs multi-residual chemical analyses first on the grapes and then on the wines, in order to verify the total absence of synthetic chemical molecules resulting from phytosanitary treatments in the vineyard.

Cantina Sant'Isidoro has therefore decided:

• NOT to use synthetic chemical fertilisers
• NOT to use chemical herbicides that are known to pollute groundwater and adversely affect the life of pollinating insects

choosing, instead, to:

• Sow leguminous plants between the rows of vines which, once ploughed in and planted, will release nitrogen that will improve soil quality.
• Invest heavily in real human resources benefiting the supply chain and guaranteeing a product of undisputed quality

HOW ZERO RESIDUE WORKS: BIOINDUCERS AND MANUAL VINEYARD MANAGEMENT

I Bioinducers are substances of natural origin (sweet orange oil, yeast extracts, antagonist fungus...) that awaken the vine's immune system, making it more resistant to attacks by the main pathogens (Peronospera and Oidium), without the need to intervene with chemical plant protection products.

In addition, the essential prerequisite for the process to work perfectly is manual management of the vineyard, which requires dedication at every stage of the phenological process, starting with the selection of the shoots, continuing with the pruning of the new shoots, the stripping of the shoots, the defoliation, and ending with the harvesting of the ripe and perfectly healthy grapes.

Weed control in the sub-row is done mechanically using a shoot remover machine, fertilisation has been replaced with sowing and Favino green manure between the rows, which will release nitrogen and improve soil quality; copper, sulphur and other synthetic chemical fungicides have been replaced by the above-mentioned bioinducers.

ZERO RESIDUE means considering the vine as a living being, capable of actively reacting to its environment.