An overview of the winery’s sustainability concept and practices.
Blancjat is one of the new brand of Lea Winery. It all began with a father’s dream: to bring the Casa Bianca estate back to life, with a project capable of being handed down to his children and to new generations. The idea has turned into a vision: the roots planted in a territory with an ancient wine vocation, the branches stretching towards a production of organic wines, accessible to all.
The properties cover an area of 132 hectares of vineyards and are located in the Friuli Grave DOC appellation. It cultivates Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Glera, Chardonnay, Traminer and Merlot favoring natural and organic practices. Grapes are harvested by hand. It have banned pesticides and chemical fertilizers and considerably reduced the use of copper. The philosophy of “prevention is better than cure” teaches it that it is better to keep the plants healthy rather than having to treat them constantly. Blancjat wines are the spokesmen of this territorial tradition, inspired by the work of those who cultivated in the centuries the plots around the estate.
Sustainability is one of the key factors behind the project. Its focus on organic farming and attention for eco-sustainability guide it in all its actions, for the benefit of the land, the vineyards and the health of everyone.Energy saving is the first of all its goals: the solar panels produce most of the necessary electricity and allow it to reduce CO2 emissions. The winery also relies on GPS technology, which provides precise indications in the management of the different areas of the vineyard: by understanding the state of vigor of the vines it can act correctly in the fertilization and selective harvesting by implementing targeted interventions, which avoid further waste. Even its self-driving tractors are equipped with GPS: in the vineyard it uses them to fertilize the soil and defoliate the vines. Finally, drones and satellites allow it to study the geomorphology of the soil, optimizing the various operations in the vineyards and further saving energy. The winery also cares a lot about water conservation, which it implements through its underground irrigation system. Probes in the ground help it assess the water stress of the vines and irrigate them through a system of channeling water from an artesian well. In this way the winery provides water only when needed and channel it from underground directly to the roots. That’s not all: it focuses on organic farming and attention for eco-sustainability guide it in all our actions, for the benefit of the land, the vineyards and the health of everyone.
• It doesn’t use glyphosates, it doesn’t weed, and its vines are cultivated using only organic fertilizers.
• It practices green manure, which is essential to replenish the enriching substances in the soil, protect it from erosion and increase its organic matter (reducing the use of copper).
• It implements several grassing techniques to intensify soil fertility.
• Low yields of grapes per hectare, thanks to the vine training systems such as guyot or free cordon system, ensure the production of excellent quality wines.
• It introduces in the vineyards selective beneficial insects, natural antagonists of parasites, which reduce the use of insecticides and chemical pesticides.
• 16% of vineyards are planted with PIWI vines: they are certified organic, resistant to fungal diseases and allow a significant reduction in the use of phytosanitary products. For these reasons, our company is SQNPI certified (National Quality System of Integrated Production): a certificate that guarantees the productivity of agricultural practices with low environmental impact. It is currently in the process of total conversion to organic methods; starting from 2022 the first 17 hectares are certified BIO.