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In vine growing, as in the rest of the fruits of the earth, it has been used for decades added chemicals to increase production. However, at a time when respect for the environment has become a valuable standard, a good number of Spanish wineries have joined to the guidelines of the ecological viticulture.
The ecological wines are betting on high quality standards and comply with high levels of demand, because as well as the dictates of the respective councils regulators of the Designation of Origin, they must comply with strict requirements for obtaining the Generic Denomination "Ecological Agriculture".
The cultivation and elaboration of these wines in the traditional way can be regarded as the greatest exponent of Corporate Social Responsibility, very much in vogue among multinational businesses. Furthermore, this activity is a unique opportunity for respect for the natural environment, especially if we take into account the passionate concern for the effects of climate change and the negative impact it could have on the cultivation of vines in our country.
The elaboration of ecological wines recalls past times with the recovery of more traditional techniques and bets in turn for the most innovative in pursuit of excellence in quality.
The winegrowers called 'green' do not appeal to herbicides with mechanical tillage in the cultivation of their vineyards, nor chemicals for fertilizer, using shredded vine shoots or natural compost to replace it. It also be planted a vegetative cover between strains to bring balance to the ground.
Faced with pests or diseases, organic farming can only be treated with organic methods (pheromones that prevent the reproduction of insects) or traditional, as natural minerals, sulphur or the one known as “caldo bordelés”(copper sulfate) in certain proportions for cases of necessity.
The fermentation process takes place only with natural yeast or indigenous, while in the stabilisation and clarification of the wine is used only natural products such as egg white or gelatin plant. In the process of bottling, using recyclables (glass and natural cork), capsules without heavy metals and labels with ecological inks.
The remains of the winemaking process are transformed into organic fertilizers to be used in the fertilization of the fields, thus closing the ecological cycle.
Nearly a hundred wineries in our country are already using organic farming or produce organic wines, such as Livor, Bodegas Vina Ijalba, Perseus, from Viñedos Ruiz Jiménez, Banda Verde, of Paternina or the wines Noemus, Comisatio and Magíster Bibendi, from Bodegas Navarrosotillo, all endorsed by the Designation of Origin (DO) of La Rioja. Within the D.O. Montilla-Moriles, the Pedro Ximenez wine Piedra Luenga Bio 2004, from Bodegas Robles, while the DO Valdepeñas can boast of its ecological wines Dionisios and Citeron, from Dionisio de Nova Garcia.
Special mention should be made to Bodegas Andres Morate, located in Belmonte de Tajo, who have been pioneers in obtaining the Certificate of Ecological Agriculture in Madrid. They elaborate different types of ecological wines, young white, young red, a red barrel and an aging red wine from the Denomination of Origin D.O. Vinos de Madrid, from tempranillo and airén grape varieties, as well as the newly incorporated cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot and muscatel of small grain.
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