"The most compelling time of the agricultural year is drawing near, and we would like to share some exciting news.
As every year, we welcome summer with its blast of sunshine and renewed optimism. The weather is now warmer and dryer, the vines are brimming with grapes and the Tenuta team are keenly gearing up for the year’s highlight: vendemmia – grape harvest time.
This year, a good harvest was far from a safe bet, with springtime rain and cold temperatures putting a strain on the vines. Luckily, however, we managed to prevent damage – something for which, to some extent, we have biodynamic farming to thank. In fact, it is precisely to better cope with such challenging circumstances that we have been working to increase biodiversity and consolidate the ecosystem in our vineyards for a few years now. Our recent experience showed that we are on the right track, spurring us to take one more step in the right direction.
INTRODUCING THE NEW MEMBERS OF OUR DIVERSE TEAM
Insects and animals play a key role on biodynamic farms such as Tenuta Sanoner, which has been Demeter-certified since 2019. So, it was an obvious choice for us to take things a step further by introducing other species into the Tenuta ecosystem, in addition to our busy bees. The choice fell on a family of five pigs – a crossbreed of farmed pigs and semi-wild Cinta Senese pigs. These new members of our team have now made themselves at home in a grove adjacent to the vineyard, where they happily thrive on abundant and, above all, healthy feed, ultimately providing us with precious quality fertiliser for our soil.
HUMANS, ANIMALS AND PLANTS, IN PERFECT HARMONY
The vision underpinning biodynamic farming is that of bringing humans, animals and plants together, building one shared ecosystem where each part brings its own contribution and support to the whole. In this respect, animals have a crucial role to play: not only do they increase soil fertility, but they also kickstart a self-regulating, self-sustaining system that requires little if any external inputs. This is the path traced by biodynamic farming standards, and the one we have been passionately pursuing for years.
We are positively delighted to have these new friends here with us at Tenuta Sanoner, and we are sure that our many visitors will be happy to meet them, too.
Giuseppe Basta and the whole Tenuta Sanoner team."
NATURAL ALLIES: Our new animals and their key role in biodynamic farming
