Curiosities & Insights – Organic vs Biodynamic

Blog Elena BoschiniFebruary 5 | 3:26 PM

It is common currently to confuse organic and biodynamic concept. Many people misunderstand the two terms: some of them believe that they are the same thing, while others know that they have different meanings but do not know the difference. Let’s do some clarity to guide you in a more informed choice of the products you use!

organic and biodynamic

First of all the main difference between organic and biodynamic is that organic farming is a certified and regulated technique by European Union’s laws, while the biodynamic one, that was born in the 1920s on the basis of the anthroposophy spiritual vision of the world elaborated by the German theologian Rudolf Steiner, is regulated only by the Demeter association, the only one able to provide a certification to the products obtained following their guidelines.

organic culture

The biological way follows cultivation techniques that respect the natural life cycles and minimize the anthropogenic impact. To sum up the rules of organic production, we could identify five more important ones:

  1. the crops are rotated to alternate the plants that improve the fertility of the soil with others that impoverish it;
  2. Pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, antibiotics and chemical products are severely restricted;
  3. GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are prohibited;
  4. Local resources are greatly increased;
  5. Only plant species suitable for a certain environment are grown.

In this way the organic farming can combine productivity and environmental protection and the farmers can provides food without toxic residues and rich in flavour. They use techniques called pacciamatura (to cover the ground with hay or fresh grass to protect it from thermal changes and to hinder the weeds’ growth) or sovescio (to seed some herbs such as clover, vetch, cress, valerianella or spinach that fertilize the soil and protect it from erosion).

Some numbers

At the top of the world for the export of organic products we have Italy with a revenue over the one billion euros per year (Ispra’s data). Sicily is the region with the greatest number of organic soil (303,066 hectares), followed by Calabria (176,998) and Puglia (160,194) according to the report drawn up by SiNab. Tuscany (whose flag is held high by Poggio al Bosco too) is just off the podium at the fourth place on equal merit with Emilia Romagna. Worldwide Oceania is the area with the largest organic cultivation (32% of the territory) followed by Europe (30%).

biodynamic agricolture

Banned by the Nazism, biodynamic agriculture has been in vogue since the 1940s (and so much earlier than organic farming). The fulcrums of this discipline are the interconnection between heaven and earth and the idea that the farm is a single great organism in which everyone (plants, animals and farmers) has a role and everybody helps for the survival and to control the health of the ecosystem. The main 3 points of this philosophy are:

  1. biodiversity and crop rotation;
  2. attention on the lunar phases and planetary cycles at the time of sowing and cultivation;
  3. self-fertiliser products (chemical products are prohibited).

According to Steiner’s studies, planets affect metals, rocks, plants and animals just as the sun makes plants grow or the moon affects the water. To make an example, the influences of Mars and Jupiter would be channelled through heat and silica and, by penetrating the plant, would contribute to give colour to flowers and fruit. More particular are the biodynamic compost: they are natural preparations assembled with animal and vegetable components. They are about ten in total and they are subdivided into three categories. Among “the most strange”, we can find Il preparato di Achillea, that is a bladder of male deer filled with yarrow flowers buried at the beginning of autumn after a few months of drying in the sun, or Il preparato di Tarassaco, in which flowers are wrapped in the mesentery of a bovine and then buried at the beginning of the autumn season.

some numbers

Around the world Demeter branded companies cover an area of 180,000 hectares but the movement seems to be growing fast. Biodynamic agriculture has increased, especially in recent years, in every part of the world, particularly in India and Latin America. Now in Italy there are 25 certified farms and the highest presence is recorded in Tuscany and Puglia (6 for each) and Trentino-Alto-Adige (5).

Poggio al Bosco: organic winery since always

Poggio al Bosco Winery has been certified organic since 2015 but actually it operates in the respect of nature and human health since its first days. For this reason, the vineyards of us are treated only with a bit of copper and sulphur (both allowed by the biological regulation) and they are reinforced with natural methods like the sovescio. This trend also continues in the wine’s production process where chemicals (e.g. sulphites) are reduced to the minimum.

The genuineness and naturalness of our wines and our oil are the trademark that make us recognizable to the palate of many people.

Virginia Bagni

P.S. Visit our online shop to buy some organic wines 🙂

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Curiosities & Insights – Wine’s sulphites

Blog Elena BoschiniAugust 30 | 1:01 PM

We often hear about wine’s sulphites, but not everyone has a clear idea about it.

What are sulphites?

In chemical, sulphite is the generic name for the neutral salts of sulfur acid. The most well-known ones are the sulphites of sodium and calcium, used in the food industry as antioxidant additives.
Two reasons justify their use: the first is to prevent the oxygenation of some enzymes internal to food which in contact with oxygen could modify the organoleptic characteristics of a product and its original taste; the second is to defend them from the attack of bacteria that could deteriorate them. Sulphites are not only used in wine, but also in any other beverage or food (such as fruit juices or jams).

Wine’s sulphites

When we talk about sulphites in wine, we are talking about sulphur dioxide added as potassium metabisulphite. With its important antioxidant, preservative and antiseptic actions, they are often indispensable for the health and stability of wine and nowadays it seems to have no rivals who could overcome it. Sulphur is added at every stage of the wine production, from the harvest to the bottle: a part of this gas is combined with some components of the must and wine, while the other one remains free and it carries out those important antioxidant and antiseptic effects. Whenever wine comes into contact with oxygen (decanting, filtration and bottling), it is considered good practice to add a quantity of sulphur dioxide to combat any undesirable effects.

Are sulphites dangerous for man?

Sulphites are included among the allergens, but actually a reaction to them is not an allergy. Some people may have positive reactions to skin allergy tests and they may symptoms as dyspnoea, sneezing and coughing within 30 to 40 minutes of ingestion. For people whom do not suffer from any allergy type, sulphites do not have any particular undesired effects, but they can cause headaches and stomach ache if they are taken in a really big quantity. However an upper limit has been set because in large quantities they are toxic to humans.

What is the maximum permitted use limit for wine? 

This limit is not generally valid but it depends on the country of production and on the type of wine: in Italy the limit established by law is approximately 160 mg/l for red wines, 220 for white and rosé wines and 250 for sweet wines (400 for passitior muffatiwines). Instead the organic regulation provides much lower numbers, such as 60 mg/l for red wines, 80 for white and rosé wines and 120 for sweet wines. If the total quantity of sulphur dioxide exceeds 10 mg/l, it shall be indicated on the label with the words “contains sulphites”, but the actual quantity in the bottle does not need to be specified.

Do wines without sulphites exist?

The term “without sulphites” refers to wines that contain less than 10 mg/l of sulphites. Zero sulphite bottles can’t be found, because sulphites are also present in wines where no sulphur dioxide has been artificially added, because some yeasts present in the must develop a small quantity of them during fermentation naturally.

Poggio al Bosco philosophy

Starting by May 2015 Poggio al Bosco can expose the U.E. organic certification after an accreditation path lasted 3 years. The promotion of a genuine production and the respect for the times of the nature and the rhythms of the earth are the basis of the job of this winery, which has always worked in the perspective of those virtuous practices of wine production that want to provide high quality product. Among other targets inside this project, there is the one that wants to tear down the excessive use of sulphites to avoid unpleasant consequences for human health. For this reason in our wines you will find a really small quantity of them like one third of the maximum allowed limit for organic production.

All you have to do now is to taste our wines and test with your mouth the difference: guaranteed result from the first sip!

Virginia Bagni

P.s. Visit our shop to order our natural wines directly 🙂

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Farmers’ Knowledge – Meetings in the farmyard

Blog Elena BoschiniMarch 30 | 2:31 PM

generation gap

Nowadays the farming life may seem something old or obsolete.

It may cause curiosity, interest and involvement. It could be compared to the same feeling we have when we watch an old black and white movie. We know it is something that belongs and concerns us all. It works in this way especially in Italy, where most of families have farming origins.

Time has passed and today we are oriented towards an even more technological future.

A future where grandmas’ knowledges are replaced by Google’s knowledges, where the land and its fruits are useful to be photographed and posted on Instagram, where vineyards are used only for scenography of our stories.

the best moment of the day

It seems impossible that in the past our grandparents’ life was guided only by sunlight.

Here at Poggio al Bosco too: the alarm clock rang early in the morning and the day was dedicated to work in the fields with different tasks depending on the seasons: pruning, binding, grapes’ and olives’ harvest.

On the other side, the evening was the best part of the day to share moments with other persons. It belonged to the family and it was dedicated to rest and to the conviviality.

During the summer, after dinner, the whole family came down in the farmyard to meet friends and families that lived nearby. The farmyard, that we call “aia” in Italian, was nothing more than the small yard adjoining  the rural house. In the evening this place assumed a special role becoming theatre of stories, tales, facts of the day and facts of the village.

During the winter, these meetings, called “veglia” in Italian, took place in the stable: it was probably the hottest place of the whole house.

“come on, let’s go to the farmyard!”

Grandparents were used to say loudly to the children “Come on, let’s go to the farmyard!”

In this moment, duties were interrupted and worries were forgotten. Whole families gathered together sharing jokes, gossips and tales or  playing games, dancing and singing.

One of the most common story in our area was the legend of “The ghost of Brolio”, that now we are going to tell you.

the ghost of brolio

Surrounded by Chianti’s vineyards, the huge Brolio’s Castle belonged, and still belongs, to the important Florentine family of Ricasoli, whose the most famous exponent is surely Bettino Ricasoli, called the Iron Baron.

As we have told you in the first part of our story about the history and origins of Chianti, Ricasoli is remembered to be the inventor of the Chianti Wine’s recipe, but he is also the main character of a famous local legend passed down from generation to generation.

It is told that on full moon nights, in the countryside near the castle, the ghost of the Baron wanders on horseback, wrapped in a long black coat and  followed by a pack of hunting dogs.
It is also said that the ghost is used to visit his bedroom: sometimes maids discover the messed up bed and cigar’s butts on his bedside table.
The Baron Ricasoli was impetuous and despotic in life, but even dead he does not want to give peace to the inhabitants of Brolio! 

This story is really well know in our area: in 1964 the painter Walter Molino dedicated to that a cover of the magazine La Domenica del Corriere.

good habits

The Baron Ricasoli’s legend is only one of many stories that were told during meetings of veglia. Often these stories were only an excuse to meet each other, to chat freely, to stay together and to enjoy each other’s closeness after a strong work day.

Would it not be nice, even today, to meet up with people who are dearest to us to carry on this nice habit of the past?

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L’Estroverso è poesia

Blog Elena BoschiniAugust 16 | 2:48 PM
Una semplice bottiglia di vino nasconde moltissimi segreti. Fatica, tempo, sudore. Ma anche passione per la propria terra, desiderio di realizzare un prodotto unico e genuino, orgoglio nel custodire le tradizioni dei nostri nonni. Nella vita frenetica di tutti i giorni, presi da mille impegni e da mille distrazioni, raramente ci soffermiamo sulle sensazioni che [...]
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Estroverso becomes famous: now available in good bookshops!

Blog Elena BoschiniJuly 3 | 4:07 PM

Grazie a Phil Whitney, autore inglese di racconti e guide turistiche, potrete trovare il nostro vino rosato Estroverso IGT anche in libreria!

Phil, nostro cliente ed amico da molti anni, ha trascorso la sua vita a metà tra l’Italia e l’Inghilterra insegnando inglese e scrivendo guide turistiche su Firenze e la Toscana.
Dal 2014 ha abbandonato l’insegnamento per dedicarsi a tempo pieno alla sua grande passione: la scrittura.

E’ da poco uscito il suo secondo romanzo, Affairs of State, un’avvincente storia ambientata in Italia, in cui i protagonisti sorseggiano il nostro Estroverso.

‘Estroverso disse il cameriere, accertandosi che l’etichetta colorata fosse rivolta verso di lui. […] Paul guardò Rosa prenderne un bel sorso e assaporarlo per alcuni secondi, poi lei deglutì, sorrise e annuì con piacere al cameriere.

[Capitolo 5, pag. 34]

Non rimane quindi che rilassarsi gustando un bicchiere di Estroverso e lasciarsi catturare dal fascino di Affairs of State.

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Farmers’ knowledge – Let’s have a snack with ‘Pane, vino e zucchero’

Blog Elena BoschiniJune 13 | 5:43 PM

Our guests appreciate very much our ‘bruschetta’ with Extra-virgin Olive Oil.

We offer it during our wine tastings to underline how much the taste of our white wine Lunatico (IGT Toscana Bianco) changes with food.

Bread, salt and olive oil, in Tuscan dialect “Pan con l’olio”, was a very typical snack of the farming world. But it was not the only one…

The uniqueness of Tuscan bread

Tuscan bread is unique: thin and crunchy crust, dense and fluffy inside, and especially it is made without salt! It is made only with flour, water and yeast, in Tuscany it is called “pane sciocco” (bread without salt).

Our bread is one of the most characteristic element of our region. It is mentioned in the Paradiso Cantica of Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, where Dante finds out that he will be exiled from Florence, and so he will be forced to eat salted bread! He thinks that it is one of the worst thing that can happen him!

The countryside’s snack

Every children, but not only children, are very excited about the snack moment.

Some years ago, In Tuscan countryside, around 4 p.m., the most popular question was: what do you want with bread?

The options were many: bread with olive oil, with salame, with ham or with wine and sugar, in italian ‘Pane, vino e zucchero’.

The old recipe to rediscover: bread, wine and sugar

“Pane, vino e zucchero” is a very simple recipe, but anyway all Tuscan recipes are simple.

It is only bread dunked in the wine and covered with sugar.
Its taste is very peculiar, the wine’s acidity matches very well with the sweetness of the sugar. A very good balance that creates a tasty but delicate snack at the same moment.

Comparing it to the modern snacks, “Pane, vino e zucchero” can be considered a peasant food, but it isn’t something negative!

It is a low cost food and it is related to the old farming tradition of simple and genuine foods, that come from innumerable natural resources of Tuscany.…and at Poggio al Bosco we love it!

And what represents Tuscany better than bread and wine?

How to do

Cut a slice of bread, sprinkle it with a lot of sugar and pour the wine on it until the sugar becomes coloured!

Now your snack is ready to be tasted 🙂

Matches for each season

This simple and quality snack is okay for the children with a lot of water and a little wine, but it is good also for the adults.

In Winter it is perfect with a powerful and full-bodied wine, like our Chianti DOCG.

In Summer we suggest you to prepare it with our Estroverso that has fresh and fruity flavour, so our snack becomes ideal during this hot summer days.

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