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Umbria countryside near Montefalco, olive trees, grapes and a host of other agricultural products abound

Italian Food, Wine and Travel Writers Explore More Sustainable Viticulture
This month, our Italian Wine, Food and Travel group is researching sustainable approaches to winemaking in Italy. Our investigation started as a look into biodynamics, but it turns out that can be a bit problematic. Why? Because certification isn’t right in every situation. The real key is to understand the grower’s approach, their challenges and how they surmount them. Our group is sure to have some interesting insights, jump to the bottom of this post to see the contributions of my fellow Italian wine enthusiast friends!

Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture for the Future
Organic, biodynamic, sustainable how do we know what’s best for the vines, the environment, the workers, the winery business? Figuring out that challenge is a tall order, but I think Roberto di Filippo is on to something with his approach at Cantina di Filippo in Montefalco, Umbria. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Roberto on my recent trip to Montefalco, Umbria. Organic viticulture avoids modern chemical and systemic products, but even some organic approved products raise concern, copper sulfate being the chief culprit. The climate and indigenous grapes in this region put harvest at risk for organic growers. Sagrantino is a late ripening variety and is very susceptible to downy mildew, for which the only approved control is copper sulfate. But there are limits to how much can be used in a year. In 2014 and 2018, many growers could only harvest a fraction of their Sagrantino (most valuable crop) due to downy mildew.

As Roberto explains in the video clip below, he is not dogmatic in his approach. He is searching for the best, most truly sustainable approach. Right now, that includes organic and biodynamic viticulture.  However, if better methods are developed, he’ll switch.

Biodynamic Certification Challenges
As we toured, I could see the commitment to biodynamic methods in the vineyard. Roberto shared that he has submitted for Demeter certification but has had challenges. While some wineries with no animals on-site can achieve certification, he has not yet succeeded. He accepts the challenges and soldiers on.  I could see this is a vineyard and winery deserving attention!

Roberto and his team (including a total of 9 horses + hundreds of geese and chickens) manage a total of 30 hectares of vineyards. The plot we saw is 4 hectares, managed entirely by horse, goose and chicken.  A total of 20 hectares are managed by horse, and they are working constantly to expand their approach to their entire farm. Respecting the work of Masanobu Fukuoka, Roberto makes a wine from the 4 hectare plot with the “one goose revolution” motto.

Disclosure: I attended Anteprima Sagrantino as a press member and my trip was sponsored by the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tasting the Wines
Organic and biodynamic viticulture is all well and good, but do the wines taste good?  Careful and mindful winemaking is still required. Roberto di Filippo and his crew show they are up to the task. Their standard wines are made with little intervention, but they are able to fully conform to IGT, DOC and DOCG standards.  Plus, they are delicious!  In addition, a couple of their wines are made in the no-sulfites-added natural realm and they are perfectly clean and delicious. Well done!  They have limited distribution in the US, you may be able to find them in your market or online here. (click on any photo below for a full size slide show, hit “escape” to return to the post)

Malafemmena is a lightly sparkling wine. Notably, Roberto freezes some grape juice at harvest to use to provide the sugar for the second fermentation in the bottle.

A play on Masanobu Fukuoka’s “one straw revolution”, this is the “one goose revolution” wine!

Trebbiano Spoletino is a grape unique to this area, which produces beautiful, richer bodied white wines.

Montefalco Rosso is a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino, and Barbera. Even though the Sagrantino is only 10%, there is no mistaking its’ presence!

These wines represent the Farmers Hands

For the big guns (2 dry and 1 sweet Sagrantino), Roberto brought out some goose breast salumi, another product of the farm. That rich goose breast was delicious with the Sagrantino passito – think about an alternative version of foie gras with Sauternes!

Other Italian Food Wine & Travel Writers Thoughts on Viticulture in Italy
If you see this post soon enough, please join our conversation on Twitter at #ItalianFWT on Saturday March 2 at 10am CST. We love visitors to join in the chat!

• Jill Barth of L’Occasion: “Gravner: ‘Nature As A Source Of Thought’”
• Camilla M. Mann: “Dinner in Testosterone Land: Braised Short Ribs + 2016 Nuova Cappelletta Barbera del Monferrato”  on Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Wendy Klik: “Brasato al Vino Rosso with Montefalco” on A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Jeff Burrows: “Looking Beyond Biodynamic Certification at Cantina di Filippo” at Food Wine Click! 
• Lauren Walsh, The Swirling Dervish: “The Wines of Alois Lageder: Cultivating Nature as a Habitat of Life.”  
• Nicole Ruiz Hudson is Cooking to the Wine: “Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Sicilia Rosso with Creamy Eggplant and Tomato Zoodles”
• Jennifer Gentile Martin: “The Organic Wines of Abruzzo with La Valentina” on Vino Travels. 
• Susannah Gold of Avvinare: “Chianti without sulfites- the wines of Fattoria Lavacchio”
• Lynne Gowdy of Savor the Harvest:  The Important Thing You Don’t Know About Italian Wine Labels
• Host Gwendolyn Alley the Wine Predator: “Organic Orange Procanico paired with a Pasta Bar”

You Can Visit
Do you have plans for a trip to Tuscany? Consider spending a few days in Tuscany’s quieter, friendly neighbor, Umbria.  Cantina di Filippo welcomes visitors, you can tour the farm just as I did, and taste their wines first hand.  I know I’ll be returning!