Our handbook to ensure the sustainability

1. We handle our soils with the maximum respect. We avoid every activity that can cause problems to the structure of the soil, with some consequences for the organisms who live in it. For this purpose, we do not use machines with high-speed working parts in order to avoid the destruction of the structure soil.

2. We practice the grassing, by using the technique known as “direct seeding”. This technique allows reducing the mechanized work and the carbon dioxide emissions in the air. Since 2023, 50% of vineyards will be grassed with the mixed Apis Mellifera, consisting of Facella, Meliloto, Radano, Senape, Trifoglio incarnato, Trifoglio Micheliano, Vecia villosa, Lupinella sguasciata, Trifoglio alessandrino, Trifoglio persico, Finocchio selvatico.

3. We minimize the waste of water. Thanks to the characteristics of the subsoil, with the presence of an impermeable layer of volcanic rock, in the surrounding area of the farm grounds there are different water sources in order to face the water needs of crops. Thanks to a network of farm canals, we are able to pipe the canals water and the surface rainwater in a basin. In this way, we can use this water, for a possible emergency irrigation into the vineyards, through the drip irrigation system.

4. We only use copper-based or sulphur products against downy mildew and powdery mildew. We carefully check the plant life and the precipitation. We only do the treatment if there are the right conditions to the development of pathogens.

5. Agricola San Teodoro takes advantage of an ongoing guard thanks to an enlightened collaboration with a local beekeeper (https://apicoltura-david.business.site/), who raises the “Italian bee” called Apis Mellifera Ligustica, which is the real biodiversity heritage, and thanks to one of his hives in the vineyards. This collaboration guaranties the healthiness and the biodiversity of Santoro’s family vineyards.

6. Against the vine moth, we treat the planting area using the mating disruption technique.

7. We harvest the grapes in a manual way, in small boxes of 15 kilos. In this way, the grapes are not damaged by their weight, and we avoid the start of negative chemical processes.

8. We work grapes of each vineyard in purity, to emphasize and highlight the uniqueness of every specific vineyard, each one with its own identity ad singularity.

9. We only use biological yeasts.

10. The sustainability mission encouraged us to create a 40 kW agro photovoltaics system in order to be energy independent. We are empowering the plant with other 9 kW to ensure the complete independence of the winery and of all the related activities.