BackVinNatur is an association of more than 180 winegrowers from 9 different countries. It was founded in 2006 by Italian producer Angiolino Maule of La Biancara. Its primary objective is the production of natural wine, which implies recovering the ancestral value of nature and humanity’s interpretative work in relation to it, since natural wine results from minimal technological intervention in the land, the grapes and the wine itself, without the use of chemical additives or manipulations.
According to VinNatur, “natural wine is produced in low, non-industrial quantities by an independent producer. The vineyards have low yields per plant and the grapes are healthy and free from pesticides; the land is suitable for grape production and the grapes are harvested by hand, with particular attention paid to the integrity of the bunches. The grapes undergo no chemical treatment, with no addition of sugar, enzymes or additives. Fermentations are spontaneous, without the addition of laboratory-selected yeasts, using only naturally occurring yeasts cultivated in the vineyard; acidity adjustments are excluded, as are micro-oxygenation and reverse osmosis treatments.”
In order to achieve this objective, winegrowers must protect the integrity of their territory, respecting the history, culture and art that have been passed down over time, guided by a strong ecological ethic. Producing natural wine means respecting the soil, the environment and the natural cycle of life, while eliminating the use of invasive and toxic agents, first in the vineyard and then in the winery.
To this end, the VinNatur association regularly organises conventions and training and information courses for its members on ongoing research and, above all, on winemaking techniques, production and oenological practices. At the same time, it makes the developments of this research publicly available. The association promotes research carried out in collaboration with private and university laboratories on winemaking techniques, spontaneous fermentation, and all the processes involved in wine ageing and preservation. The association encourages and promotes experimentation with innovative agricultural approaches aimed at eliminating the use of copper and sulphur in order to restore the natural balance of the soil.
It was in connection with the study of soil that, in 2014, VinNatur developed the project “Fertilità Biologica dei Terreni” (“Soil Fertility”). Regarding this initiative, Angiolino Maule, winegrower and founding president of VinNatur, states: “The decision to undertake this project, which is demanding both in terms of energy and costs for our association, was driven by the conviction that it is not possible to make wine that is healthy and sustainable for nature and for people without respecting the soil. The land, the soil, comes before everything else! Furthermore, VinNatur has always set itself a goal that it seeks to pursue through different means, such as scientific projects and experiments, the organisation of annual fairs and round tables, and meetings with experts and scientists: to spread knowledge and awareness among our member producers and among those who love natural wine, because the former produce it and the latter consume it consciously.”
