At the present moment, VinNatur is the only association in the world that is able to guarantee consumers the natural wine they are buying contains no pesticides, herbicides or synthetic chemicals.
Checks for pesticide residue are done every year at random and are mandatory for all VinNatur members. The analysis, looking for 211 predefined active elements, is carried out by an external laboratory in Verona and the costs are borne by the Association.
This fall, external inspectors are carrying out examinations of 50 members to check that the wineries are abiding by the VinNatur Procedural Guidelines Document. This charter, the first of its kind in the industry, sets out what are or aren’t acceptable practices in the vineyard and in the cellar. The same external companies which certify organic agriculture are now visiting these 50 wineries as a pilot before the checks are rolled out more widely in 2019.
Along with the commitment to consumers’ health, VinNatur gives their members the knowledge and support in order to produce natural wines that are not faulty. As part of their mission to show this progress to a wider audience, the first VinNatur International Workshop was held in June. Wine judges gathered in Vicenza to blind-taste 216 different VinNatur wines coming from associated wineries all over Europe: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia and Czech Republic. The judges were asked to evaluate each wine and their comments were given to the individual winemakers. VinNatur hopes that this feedback will serve as recognition of hard work for wineries which have made tasty and technically correct wines or that more effort is needed.
Established in 2006 in Vicenza, Italy, VinNatur has proven an effective tool not only for wine promotion but also for education of both producers and consumers. Nowadays, VinNatur is made up of 187 producers from 9 European countries. Since its foundation, VinNatur Association has constantly helped producers to better understand their vineyards and the winemaking process, whilst using and enhancing nature’s contribution as much as possible. “Our future goals include replacing copper and sulphur with biodegradable vegetable extracts that help the vine build up resistance, as well as increasing the vineyard’s biodiversity” states Angiolino Maule, VinNatur’s president.
VinNatur’s main event, Villa Favorita, is run in Vicenza every year just before Vinitaly. Over time, it has become a not-to-be-missed event for natural wine buyers and consumers. The next edition of Villa Favorita will be held on April 6th – 7th – 8th 2019.
Prior to that there will be also a tasting in Rome, on 23rd and 24th February 2019.
Association of Natural Wine Producers – VinNatur
VinNatur was established in 2006 in order to reunite small producers of natural wines, both Italian and European, and provide them with a proper tool for promotion and growth. The Association aims at promoting natural wines from a commercial point of view and at the same time developing specific knowledge of natural viticulture and natural wine making amongst both producers themselves and consumers.
“Natural wine” is the name given to a product derived from a healthy agriculture which rejects the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical soil and foliar fertilizers. Great attention is given to soil and soil natural balance. VinNatur is carrying out researches in order to get rid of copper and sulphur, traditionally used for treating vines diseases, and replace them with natural extracts which help the vine building up resistance. Natural approach is not limited to the vineyard, but extends also to the cellar. Selected yeasts are not allowed, neither are additives (of any kind) or invasive techniques which do not respect the raw material. The aim is that of reducing and, if possible, eliminating the use of sulphur dioxide, whose side effects on human health are well known worldwide. This is possible thanks to a constant improvement of spontaneous fermentation, with indigenous yeasts, which are already available in nature and which give a distinctive value to wine as far as personality and uniqueness. Over the years, VinNatur has steeply increased the number of associates, from 65 wineries up to present-day 187 members belonging to nine different countries: Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Ph. Credit Lorenzo Rui
