With a view to ever-increasing development of the environmental and economic sustainability of Cerro Estateswith wineries in Umbria and Tuscany, the return of wolves within individual estates it is becoming an element of great importance. “We can safely say that they have become truly special collaborators,” says the general manager Antonio Donato. He explains: “Wolves, within our companies, protect the vineyards by driving away wild animals such as, for example, wild boars and roe deer and this takes on a very significant importance, especially in the first vegetative phase of the vine. We spotted the first specimens in Umbria, but they have also returned to the Tuscan estates for a few years, to the point that it is not difficult to encounter them in broad daylight in the middle of the vineyards or at the edge of the woods, so much so that on more than one occasion it has been It is also possible to film them with smartphones – says Donato – Tenute del Cerro has long since launched a major environmental sustainability project for all its production, starting with the wine production. Environmental and economic sustainability which certainly pass through certain business projects which, in some cases, go even beyond the classic organic protocol. But environmental sustainability inevitably – adds the general director – has to do with everything that surrounds us and therefore finds its maximum application also through the extraordinary work of nature and therefore in the perfect balance between animal species and in this sense wolves they are our precious allies.”
Donato, speaking of environmental sustainability, also addresses the issue of climate change, with increasingly scorching summers, especially in the more inland areas, exactly where the Tenute del Cerro businesses are located. “In the last 20-25 years we have witnessed a real escalation of temperatures and this required starting specific projects to combat drought, and developing a series of initiatives aimed at respecting the environment – explains the director – We have started protocols and actions that have already led to a drastic reduction in chemistry, but we will have the opportunity to return to this topic in some time. What is, however, already a reality is the irrigation system which now reaches almost all of our vineyards. After having created, in the most suitable corners of the various estates, reservoirs capable of containing approximately 150 thousand cubic meters of rainwater, we have created an emergency water network which we activate in periods of prolonged drought”.
