Downy mildew - No 2023 harvest for Podere Casanova di Montepulciano. Consistent choice to truly be an eco-sustainable and organic company

“We are sorry - they continue - It was not an easy decision not to harvest our grapes this year, but we are firmly convinced of it. A choice consistent with our vision, which puts environmental protection and the health of those who drink our wines at the forefront. Our vineyards are in fact cultivated in a completely natural way, with a very low quantity of copper sulphate. The downy mildew , which has plagued the vineyards throughout Italy, has also heavily attacked ours and has forced us to make the forced and coherent choice of giving up the harvest , given that it is unthinkable for us to carry out more treatments than those we have set ourselves for. to truly be an eco-sustainable and organic company .”

After July 3rd they therefore decided to stop the treatments and forego the 2023 harvest as the copper used on that date was equal to 1.8 kg per hectare. Considering that, by company choice, they use a maximum of 50% of the copper allowed in organic farming for the Tuscany Region, i.e. 6kg/cu/ha, moving forward would have meant exceeding both their and regulatory limits. Speaking of treatments, they try to reduce them as much as possible: in 2021 they used 0.83 kg of copper per hectare and in 2022 just 0.37 kg. 17 hectares of vineyards, 10 labels , with the Equalitas brand which certifies it as an eco-sustainable farm, since 2021 Podere Casanova has been in organic conversion , with an experiment underway since 2019 which tends to bring the use of copper to reduced quantities up to total abolition. In 2023, for the third consecutive year, the vineyards are cultivated in a completely natural way with a very low quantity of the heavy metal.

“The stop to the harvest has allowed us to focus more on many other important aspects of our work, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and we are more motivated than ever to continue on our path of producing a healthy, correct and fair wine – conclude Susanna and Isodoro Rebatto - A Vino Nobile di Montepulciano unique for its character, pleasant to taste, exciting, which carries within it the stamp of our wonderful territory, which we contribute to safeguarding. We'll meet you for the 2024 vintage!”