diversity of the Sicilian wine continent
enhance the quality of the wine
passing through the hills,
an open-air kaleidoscope
A precious resource
Healthy soils are crucial for the creation of an optimal ecosystem for the cultivation of vines, a good management of water filtration, the functioning of the exchange of elements within the microclimate of the single plant and the storage of large quantities of carbon that otherwise they would be emitted into the atmosphere. Soil is not a renewable source and its protection acquires remarkable importance within the policy for the protection of the environment pursued by Firriato. Because of soil vulnerability Firriato has played a leading role in fighting the natural drivers of degradation such as soil erosion and pollution, by adoption of preventive measures aimed at protection of the terroirs and the biodiversity of the land within its estates.
Protecting Sicilian environmental heritage
RESOURCESSicily is an open-air viticultural lab. 6 out of 12 widespread soil orders are rooted in Sicily, a land striking for its remarkable pedoclimatic variability. 470 hectares of vineyards are cared for and cultivated with passion in a certified organic farming regime, divided into three heterogeneous and complex production contexts: from the Trapani countryside in western Sicily, where hill viticulture is practiced, to the magnificent Etna Terroir, where the winery vinegrows between 650 and 900 meters above sea level. Last but not least, the surprising heroic sea viticulture of the island of Favignana, where Firriato has been vinegrowing since 2007.
Pro - soil fertility
RESOURCESSoil guarantees life and is the most important capital that we must hold onto to as to transfer to future generations. Healthy soils with stable levels of organic matter are also better equipped to prevent and combat diseases and degradation phenomena and consequently protect the fertility of the land. Organic matter is made up of material from plants, animals and material that has been converted by soil microorganisms over different stages of its decomposition. As a matter of fact, organic matter brings a direct benefit to wine production in improving fertility and soil quality on countless levels, giving us the opportunity to operate with the utmost respect for the environment, protecting nature and ensuring lands for our children to continue to pass Sicilian winemaking tradition from a generation to another.
Pro - soil fertility
RESOURCESSoil guarantees life and is the most important capital that we must hold onto to as to transfer to future generations. Healthy soils with stable levels of organic matter are also better equipped to prevent and combat diseases and degradation phenomena and consequently protect the fertility of the land. Organic matter is made up of material from plants, animals and material that has been converted by soil microorganisms over different stages of its decomposition. As a matter of fact, organic matter brings a direct benefit to wine production in improving fertility and soil quality on countless levels, giving us the opportunity to operate with the utmost respect for the environment, protecting nature and ensuring lands for our children to continue to pass Sicilian winemaking tradition from a generation to another.
GRASSING
Firriato treasures grassing, a technique consisting in the creation of a meadow in the vineyard, formed by the best herbs for this purpose and able to create a biological balance between microorganisms and soil insects. In soil fertilization practices, the winery supplies nourishment to both, maintaining an optimal level of carbon within the soil and contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, mitigating climate change.
COVER CROP
Cover crop is a great way to add nutrients to the soil. Green manure involves planting a crop that is meant to be incorporated into the soil to increase its fertility. It is as simple as selecting the right plants that will be turned into the vineyards soil after the flowering period.
VINE PRUNINGS
The reuse of vine prunings is a natural resource: in fact, by burying vine prunings, a significant percentage of the macro and microelements needs of the vine can be covered. Furthermore, vine prunings play a significant role in tackling the most resistant weeds. Actually vine prunings they reduce the weeds germination capacity their seeds thanks to the toxic action of the tannins and phenols contained in the shoots.
CARBON AND NITROGEN
The agronomic data of the ratio between carbon and nitrogen around the value 12 is an optimal value for the health standards of the vineyard.
GRASSING
Firriato treasures grassing, a technique consisting in the creation of a meadow in the vineyard, formed by the best herbs for this purpose and able to create a biological balance between microorganisms and soil insects. In soil fertilization practices, the winery supplies nourishment to both, maintaining an optimal level of carbon within the soil and contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, mitigating climate change.
COVER CROP
Cover crop is a great way to add nutrients to the soil. Green manure involves planting a crop that is meant to be incorporated into the soil to increase its fertility. It is as simple as selecting the right plants that will be turned into the vineyards soil after the flowering period.
VINE PRUNINGS
The reuse of vine prunings is a natural resource: in fact, by burying vine prunings, a significant percentage of the macro and microelements needs of the vine can be covered. Furthermore, vine prunings play a significant role in tackling the most resistant weeds. Actually vine prunings they reduce the weeds germination capacity their seeds thanks to the toxic action of the tannins and phenols contained in the shoots.
CARBON AND NITROGEN
The agronomic data of the ratio between carbon and nitrogen around the value 12 is an optimal value for the health standards of the vineyard.
Against soil erosion and degradation
RESOURCESIn the framework of the best practices that Firriato has applied to protect environmental sustainability, some of the most important concern the contrast to the erosive phenomena of the soil, mainly caused by mechanical processes which, if not controlled, expose the soil to progressive consumption with consequent loss of fertility. The latter, in the worst cases, can be irreversible. In the farm’s estates, the erosion risk is calculated using international standards, such as the measurement of the barefoot and kept under control throughout the life cycle of the vineyard, from the planting of the same to its processing and for each individual agronomic year. In the months of October and November, in particular, when the soils are more exposed to the autumn rains. To counteract erosion, the orientation systems of the rows have been designed, together with the regulation of the waters, with the aim of limiting interventions and working in the vineyard to a minimum, favoring the anticipation of anthropogenic and natural grassing of the soil to maintain the efficiency of the production system through the use of spontaneous essences such as barley, vetch, field bean and.
Against soil erosion and degradation
RESOURCESIn the framework of the best practices that Firriato has applied to protect environmental sustainability, some of the most important concern the contrast to the erosive phenomena of the soil, mainly caused by mechanical processes which, if not controlled, expose the soil to progressive consumption with consequent loss of fertility. The latter, in the worst cases, can be irreversible. In the farm’s estates, the erosion risk is calculated using international standards, such as the measurement of the barefoot and kept under control throughout the life cycle of the vineyard, from the planting of the same to its processing and for each individual agronomic year. In the months of October and November, in particular, when the soils are more exposed to the autumn rains. To counteract erosion, the orientation systems of the rows have been designed, together with the regulation of the waters, with the aim of limiting interventions and working in the vineyard to a minimum, favoring the anticipation of anthropogenic and natural grassing of the soil to maintain the efficiency of the production system through the use of spontaneous essences such as barley, vetch, field bean and.
ROW DIRECTION
In production areas where there is a considerable slope of great importance for the erosion contrast is the orientation of the rows. The latter are in fact arranged perpendicular to the direction of the slope to create a virtuous system in which the working on the ground and rainwater find conditions that naturally contrast the erosive phenomenon and the removal of the soil for transport downstream.
WATER REGULATION
The main threat caused by erosion is represented by the run-off of rainwater which, flowing along the vineyards, tends to transport parts of fertile soil from upstream to downstream, generating, over the years, situations of eroded soil in the parts of the steep vineyards. When designing a vineyard, water regulation is always taken into consideration, making sure that water can flow freely without creating situations of soil removal and therefore erosion.
SOIL TILLAGE
Soil tillage has the secondary effect of breaking the texture of the soil itself and therefore, indirectly, exposing it to the erosive phenomenon. During the winter months, those in which the rains are more frequent, there is no work on the ground capable of generating this risk. Specifically, attention to the issue is guaranteed as ground work on the most exposed bottoms is avoided when unfavorable weather conditions are known.
GRASSING AND MULCHING
Grassing and mulching, in addition to ensuring fertility and protection of the vineyard system, are a very important countermeasure for erosion risk. During the winter rains, in fact, anthropogenic and spontaneous grassing creates a natural barrier that counteracts the ablation of soil due to rainwater or tillage.
ROW DIRECTION
In production areas where there is a considerable slope of great importance for the erosion contrast is the orientation of the rows. The latter are in fact arranged perpendicular to the direction of the slope to create a virtuous system in which the working on the ground and rainwater find conditions that naturally contrast the erosive phenomenon and the removal of the soil for transport downstream.
WATER REGULATION
The main threat caused by erosion is represented by the run-off of rainwater which, flowing along the vineyards, tends to transport parts of fertile soil from upstream to downstream, generating, over the years, situations of eroded soil in the parts of the steep vineyards. When designing a vineyard, water regulation is always taken into consideration, making sure that water can flow freely without creating situations of soil removal and therefore erosion.
SOIL TILLAGE
Soil tillage has the secondary effect of breaking the texture of the soil itself and therefore, indirectly, exposing it to the erosive phenomenon. During the winter months, those in which the rains are more frequent, there is no work on the ground capable of generating this risk. Specifically, attention to the issue is guaranteed as ground work on the most exposed bottoms is avoided when unfavorable weather conditions are known.
GRASSING AND MULCHING
Grassing and mulching, in addition to ensuring fertility and protection of the vineyard system, are a very important countermeasure for erosion risk. During the winter rains, in fact, anthropogenic and spontaneous grassing creates a natural barrier that counteracts the ablation of soil due to rainwater or tillage.
Firriato, in particolare, opta nelle sue tenute per il cosiddetto inerbimento spontaneo: la flora cosÃŽ cresce spontaneamente in vigna e viene regolarmente falciata selezionando, nel corso del tempo, un cotico erboso naturale. L’importanza dellâinerbimento ÃĻ legata in particolare ai terreni in forte pendenza: nei terreni lavorati, infatti, gli agenti atmosferici trasportano verso il basso le particelle piÃđ fini e le sostanze nutritive, impoverendo le zone piÃđ alte. Il terreno inerbito, non lavorato durante l’autunno e l’inverno, rimane fresco e mantiene una costante presenza di sostanze organiche, favorendo lo sviluppo vegetativo delle uve. Un aspetto fondamentale di queste pratiche ÃĻ l’utilizzo di sementi di essenze autoctone per la creazione di cotici erbosi vicini il piÃđ possibile a quel concetto di ânaturalità â, dove la biodiversità ÃĻ rappresentativa di quella originaria del territorio.
soil orders per 470ha
soil treatment
organic farming
weeding solution
organic matter use
soil orders per 470ha
soil treatment
organic farming
weeding solution
