We recently did an interview with Francesco Maule of La Biancara di Angiolino Maule about his family’s estate, their wine-making practices and their involvement in the natural wine movement in Italy.
Sedimentary: Your family has been farming naturally since the late 1980’s. Can you tell us about your farming practices and what you have learned about natural farming?
Maule: My father start in the eighties to plant his vines and he never want to use pesticide for treatments or herbicides against grass.
During the year we changing our vineyards for make more quality: guyot style, green cuttings during the summer, working the soil, plant some winter leguminose, using vegetal homemade compost, reduce treatments with copper and sulphur with the aim of eliminating them.
This is a process started in the eighties, passing through the culture of organic farming and ecological way of life, biodynamic viticulture and now with a scientific approach, in cooperation with other producers, under VinNatur association.
Sedimentary: You also adopt a non-interventionist approach in the cellar. Can you tell us more about your wine-making philosophy?
Maule: We want to respect what nature has given us: it does not make sense to work hard in the vines to have a great grape and then lose everything by changing (or correcting) the wine in the cellar. The human being is a part of nature, but he or she should not overpower nature For us, too much skin contact, oxidation, volatile acidity, or barrique flavor are all examples of man overpowering wine. Natural wine for us means spontaneous fermentation, no additives or preservatives added, no filtration, no reverse osmosis, and no other technological invasive practices.
Sedimentary: Gambellara is located just a few kilometres from Soave and it is a special place. Can you tell us more about Gambellara, Garganega, your vineyards, and what makes them all so special?
Maule: The volcanic soil is what makes them so speicall. And the story tell us why is the right place for Garganega: 1300 years of certified culture of vine growing and wine making! Garganega is special because have a good acidity, minerality, good body and structure, longevity …
Sedimentary: Your family has been involved in the natural farming and wine-making movement in Italy since the beginning. Can you tell us a little bit about VinVatur, how it developed, and where the natural wine movement is now in Italy?
Maule: We got always to fight! Natural wine, the term, is really discussed during the last years. But we must go ahead and make scientific research for arriving to have better soil, more balanced vines, eliminate copper and sulphur in the vineyards … Make a wine without any additives and unfiltered but clear, pure and fine! More info on our website, vinnatur.it.
Thanks to Francesco for taking the time to talk with us.
Disclosure: We import Maule wines. For our latest offer of Maule wines go here. For our producer profile of La Biancara go here.
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