15 January 2021
For over 20 years, Guido Berlucchi has been at the forefront of innovative, sustainable projects in Franciacorta.
The family-run nature of the company has fostered a forward-looking and resource-friendly approach for generations, a concept that drives estate-wide practices while also defining Berlucchi’s lead in territorial projects concentrated on the sustainable management of resources in Franciacorta.
The pioneering spirit inherent to Berlucchi is brought forth today by third generation CEO, Arturo Ziliani: “Our production philosophy is directed towards quality viticulture which is sustainable both in terms of safeguarding the environment, but also from an economic standpoint. Instead of imposing rigid models and schemes, we rationally consider every single aspect of a change or decision in the vineyard, taking into consideration the climatic and agronomic context of the area.” A longtime leading estate in the territory, they continuously set a high benchmark for other wineries and push for new recognition of Franciacorta, stimulating the need for change by leading by example.
In 2016, Berlucchi concluded a complete conversion of its proprietary vineyards to organic agriculture after the initial introduction of low-impact agriculture in the year 2000. Thus, for over two decades the company has been safeguarding insects, reducing water levels to a minimum, and using only non-intrusive products and treatments carried out according to specific climate conditions. The estate also uses indirect agricultural methods like green harvesting and canopy regulation to control the vigor of each vineyard. Biodiversity remains a foremost priority in every vineyard, with herbs cultivated between rows allowing the ecosystem to thrive with bees and other pollinators.
Berlucchi was among the first to experiment with Erbamat, an ancient autochthonous grape varietal from Franciacorta. A recognized grape in Franciacorta’s precious blending varietals, Erbamat is a promising card in mitigating the effects of climate change due to its late ripening tendency. Today, Berlucchi boasts the largest surface area of any estate in in the world dedicated to its cultivation.
One of the pillars of Ziliani’s philosophy and Guido Berlucchi’s approach is the ITA.CA project, which the company has stood behind since 2011. ITA.CA is a carbon calculator that estimates the footprint of the overall industrial process of the estate based on its emissions. The findings and resulting “carbon report” are measured using the IWCC (International Wine Carbon Calculator) and used to considerably reduce the company’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Another example lies in the extreme attention paid to natural resources. An average winery consumes eight liters of water to produce one liter of wine. Berlucchi has managed to reduce its water consumption to a ratio of 3:1, an impressive reduction of over half compared to the average. Continued monitorization, without overseeing important sanitary necessities (such as the cleaning of tanks) has led to a conscious reduction over time and overall awareness across the entire production process. This begins in the vineyards, where manual irrigation is avoided in favor of vines seeking natural hydration from deep in the soils, even in dry vintages.
In terms of natural energy, Guido Berlucchi can now count on a photovoltaic energy system located on the roof of the winemaking cellar, composed of 2,600 panels which produce about 35% of the cellar’s energy needs.
These experiments represent for Guido Berlucchi not objectives achieved, but possibilities yet to be explored, a virtuous path that the company has undertaken in the name of curiosity, research and promotion of an ever deeper understanding of the mechanisms that give a wine – and a winery – great personality and quality.
