A few days ago the first anti-freeze fan (and therefore anti-freeze) installed in an Italian vineyard came into operation. To install it, thanks to the contributions of the Umbria Region (agroclim technology project), was the Arnaldo Caprai farm, which for over ten years has put in place an integrated sustainability system in the management of vineyards and cellars.
«This is only the last step we have taken with a view to prevention - explains Marco Caprai -, moreover the problem of spring frosts is now very frequent, in Umbria it is a much more important problem than hail. This fan is a large retractable propeller which folds in on itself when not in use, disappearing into the vineyard landscape. Once programmed, it starts automatically when the temperature levels drop below the set threshold: we have already had the opportunity to test it during a couple of nights in which in Montefalco we recorded a sharp drop in temperature, which reached around - 2 ° C. In the area where we placed the Ventolone (a device covers about 5-6 hectares) thanks to the machinery we managed to raise the temperature by 5-6 ° C. We also purchased a fog-firing cannon, which we could say performs the same action as the antifreeze candles, but in a much more practical and faster way ».
An extraordinary machine, the Ventolone, which until now had never been set up in an Italian vineyard and which, if the results of new tests confirm the first, will convince the Arnaldo Caprai company to install, in a few years, at least five other devices.
The Ventolone for Arnaldo Caprai is totemic, it can be considered the last symbol - avant-garde - of an integrated system that has its roots in the New green revolution project, launched by Marco Caprai in 2008 together with 8 other companies of the Consortium for the protection of Montefalco wines (Adanti, Antonelli, Antano, Colleallodole, Perticaia, Scacciadiavoli and Tabarrini), at the Department of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies of the University of Milan and at the Technological and Agri-Food Park of Umbria. «Revolutions are not made in one day - Caprai closes -. To make true sustainability you need to create a sort of range of solutions to bring grapes to perfect ripeness. So, today the latest arrival is the anti-frost fan to prevent frost, but it is only one of the ingredients of what we do in the vineyard: for example, we have sensors to control the quantity of water available for the plant, which in case of suffering activate the possibility of distributing water to the plants in the most advanced phase of June and July. In addition to this, we have a data collection system through which we can also map the various diseases to which the vine is subject, in order to reduce the phytopathological pressure by using as few treatments as possible ".
Sustainability is the driver of the future, Marco Caprai has always been convinced of it: «Since we started making sustainability to date, experience has led us to change our path. What we knew ten years ago and the tools we had were different from those of today. Now in agriculture there is the possibility of fully tapping into the digital revolution and tools that were unimaginable a few years ago ». A 4.0 viticulture model, that of the Arnaldo Caprai farm, which translates not only into a 360-degree environmental sustainability, but also has real economic savings: «We have the data of now about twenty vintages - says Caprai - and the results are evident: we went from 600 working hours per hectare to 250-300 hours, and the quality of the grapes has probably improved. We also have the data of what is the part of Grape assistence and Smart meteo that allow us a 1/3 reduction in the use of pesticides in the countryside (with peaks of -60% in favorable seasons) compared to the average standards of good practices. Of course this also translates into economic savings ».
In this suspended time, where the campaign does not stop, "we must continue to innovate, invest and carry on the productions in the best possible way". As for the problems of wine stocks and the reduction of yields for the 2020 harvest, which many are already talking about, Marco Caprai has a clear vision: «Everyone must adjust according to his needs. We have to have more than one weapon available, which is the cutting improvement like the green harvest. I believe that there will certainly be some pressure on white wines, while for reds the problem is less. Talking about reducing yields today is absolutely premature. We must first of all deal with the weather. Instead, it scares me to think about using CMO funds for compulsory distillation: maybe the American market starts again sooner than we think, I would like to have the possibility to use CMO funds to support my sales in the United States rather than to distill the product, because the distillation is the last of the weapons that should be used, even if it is not for this reason it must be demonized. But let us remember that if we reached 6.2 billion euros in exports, it was mainly thanks to the fact that we no longer spent European funds for distillation. In short, as always, I think it takes more secularism and less religious wars that hide personal interests. And above all, I would give priority to a decree that deals with the liquidity of agricultural businesses that was easy and ready to use ».
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Few other wineries in Italy identify themselves so deeply with Sagrantino di Montefalco, such as Arnaldo Caprai. A unique reality, synonymous with Italian excellence, capable of creating wines out of the ordinary for depth, elegance and longevity not only red, but also white. The merit of this adventure that began in the late seventies lies with Marco Caprai, Arnaldo's son. It was he, in fact, more than anyone else who believed in the wealth of Sagrantino, reinterpreting it in a modern key, through the most innovative production and business management methods, which allowed him to conquer the favors of the public and critics of everything. the world. Not least the whites: the Grecante Arnaldo Caprai, 100% Grechetto, managed to conquer the Top100 of Wine Spectator.
A large company, Arnaldo Caprai, which has a green soul, considering issues relating to sustainability, protection and environmental protection as fundamental. The observation point is always the same: trying to behave in harmony with the natural evolutionary cycles, preserving and enhancing the territory in which we operate. For this reason, the company has decided to create an Environmental Management System compliant with international regulations, developing a voluntary territorial protocol for environmental, economic and social sustainability of the production process.
It is in this unparalleled context that wines of unforgettable fabric are born, complex and elegant, capable of telling the best of a whole region, Umbria.
