Sustainability comes in all shapes and sizes. The efforts of one small producer can be just as impactful as the actions of Goliath-sized wineries, as Barolo vigneron Silvano Bolmida proves.
Working with his seven hectares of vines in Piedmont, Italy, Bolmida has been certified for sustainable farming and winemaking since 2014. ‘We have been focused in using no chemicals in the vineyards for herbicides or fungicides,’ he explains. ‘Instead, we use sustainable applications such as orange oil, algae and different fruit juice extracts.’
These natural products can help fight common problems in the vineyard: orange oil, for example, can fight mildew and odium, while algae is growing in popularity for its fungicide properties.
Another natural defence Bolmida has been employing is growing grasses between vine rows: ‘I grow beans to capture nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it in the soil and use alfalfa to avoid water erosion, while white mustard works well to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.’
In addition to adding grasses to the vineyard, Bolmida has also been adding fruit trees into the vineyards — part of the ethos of agroforestry in adding natural habitats for wildlife and increasing biodiversity. While adding plants is one of the key actions of Bolmida’s sustainability plan, being careful not to remove native vegetation is another. He maintains native forests and uncultivated fields within his property — no mean feat in the high-value region of Monforte d’Alba in Piedmont.
Sustainable indoors and out
Limiting his carbon output and environmental impact in the winery is also a key focus point in his sustainability plan. ‘We use solar panels for our electricity in the winery and have also used a lot of stained-glass windows which save electricity,’ he adds. As well as looking beautiful, the windows offer very good insulation — offering energy savings. His underfloor heating systems are also particularly energy efficient.
Effective and environmentally responsible use of water is another key concern for Bolmida. All the water used in the winery is treated and cleaned before being released, and ambient humidity inside the winery is captured and stored as water to use for floor cleaning, in the toilets and in the garden.
Carbon and energy savings also filter down to the choice of bottles. ‘We are using light glass bottles today,’ says Bolmida. ‘Each bottle weighs 500g, which is a saving of 1kg for every six-bottle case compared to a decade ago, which also helps reduce the energy used to ship my wines. We also choose to use ecological trucks for shipping and transporting the wines.’
In terms of social sustainability, the small scale of the winery means that 90% of the work is carried out by his family — with Bolmida’s wife, son and daughter all working together at the winery. When they do need external help, notably with vine pruning, Bolmida ensures that the workers are certified with their own social security and that all the best equipment, albeit a manual job using no more than a good pair of scissors and a strong pair of hands, is provided.
Producers making a difference
Bolmida is just one of our producers with a more sustainable approach to winemaking. Discover our selection of producers making a difference.
