Why did winemaker Gianni Cantele post this picture of himself with Cantele’s longtime vineyard manager Cataldo Ferrari and a horse?
It’s because the Cantele team has been using a horse-drawn plough to de-grass its vineyards this year.
Over the last decade, the Cantele family has been working toward a goal of 100 percent sustainable farming practices. Even though the Cantele winery isn’t organic certified, the majority of fruit used to make its wines is organically farmed — i.e., without the use of synthetic herbicides or pesticides. Even in those cases where synthetic products are used, they are applied as sparingly as possible. It’s a reflection of a growing movement of grape farmers in Italy and Europe who are practicing a new and novel approach to sustainability in the vineyards.
Continue reading A horse in the vineyard: Sustainable farming at Cantele
