Salcheto

The bicycle is what got everyone’s attention. At the annual Vinitaly trade fair in Verona, Michele Manelli of the Tuscan estate Salcheto, one of an estimated 4,500 exhibitors, created the first-ever “off the grid” stand at the international wine and spirits exhibition. A bicycle was set up in his space, and pedal-power was the sole source of energy for the dishwashers that cleaned the stemware at the stand, the electricity needed to illuminate it and the refrigeration for the wine bottles. At the heart of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano appellation in one of the most beautiful corners of Tuscany, Salcheto is as pure and green as its stunning surroundings. Salcheto claims to be the first winery in the world to have certified the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine (according to ISO 14064 standard, in 2010). Thanks to a joint study with the Università di Siena, Salcheto calculated that each 750-milliliter bottle of wine it produces is equal to 1.83 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions. Once the winery was able to quantify its carbon footprint, it did everything in its power to eliminate it. The Salcheto Carbon Free initiative focuses on neutralizing CO2 emissions from production (which account for nearly half of the total), the 38% from the packaging and the 26% from transportation. The Salcheto winery, built in 2011, is fully fueled by renewable energy, thanks to geothermic energy to cool temperatures, biomass heating technology, solar panels, reflecting surfaces and shafts that direct sunlight deep into the underground fermentation and aging areas thanks to a complicated exchange of mirrors and tubes. Rainwater and wastewater are collected, purified and recycled, and the entire property is planted to grapevines and local willow trees (“salice” in Italian, from which Salcheto takes its name) to help offset emissions. These sustainability efforts apply to the winery and the onsite guest suites. Each year, Salcheto releases a Sustainability Report (based on the Equalitas Standard) that details the carbon footprint, the water footprint and the biodiversity index of the estate. If you go to www.salcheto.it you can use the Carbon Footprint Calculator for each bottle of wine made at the estate. Lastly, Salcheto is the first Italian winery to have created a Welfare Plan for its employees.

Michele Manelli of Salcheto in the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano appellation farms 48 hectares of certified organic vines and has adopted a fully sustainable approach to his vineyard and winery functions. The vines range from 15 to 30 years in age, and annual production is about 300,000 bottles. The Nobile Vecchie Viti del Salco draws its fruit from the oldest vines of Sangiovese Prugnolo Gentile, but other international and indigenous grapes are used. Salcheto produces honey from eight onsite hives.