The four elements

lenotti vini

Our principles

According to the theory of the first Greek philosophers, the environment, i.e. the nature that surrounds us, is composed of the 4 basic elements: earth, water, air and fire.

The earth, solid and luxuriant, symbolizes primordial matter, absorbs life and nourishes it.

Water, the source of life, becomes a torrent from its origin, then a river until it reaches the sea, overcoming every obstacle it encounters on its way and even penetrating into the depths of the earth.

The air, is the life energy that we breathe and without which it would not be possible to live; it is intangible and represents the “cosmic breath”.

Fire stands for a purifying and life-giving element.

Earth

Without a good and healthy soil, we could never grow good and healthy grapes, which are the base for a quality wine.

Our policy of sustainable viticulture begins in the vineyard and includes the use of all available agricultural production techniques aimed at reducing any polluting effects of agriculture, thanks to the use of cultivation techniques that avoid the use of non-natural products as much as possible.

Examples of some of the techniques we use are:

– mechanical weed control without the use of chemical herbicides;

– mechanical removal of the lower vine shoots to concentrate the energy on the remaining shoots;

– use of modern spraying equipment “with recovery”, which drastically reduces the amount of treatment products used;

– mechanical defoliation of the vines in order to increase air circulation in the vineyards and thus achieving he gradual elimination of antimycotics

– gradual conversion of our vineyards to purely organic cultivation techniques; since the 2017 harvest our organic wine production started with our “LENOTTI BIO ROSSO”.

By maintaining an ecosystem that is as natural as possible, we protect the soil and groundwater, our and our employees health, who work in the vineyards and cultivate our finest wines.

Water

Water is a very precious commodity and a large part of it is used for wine production (from irrigation in the fields to the washing and cleaning in the cellars) and it has always been one of the first natural resources we have taken care of:

– if irrigation is necessary, we use trip irrigation systems to greatly reduce consumption and to conserve resources

– the creation of reservoirs, for collecting and reusing rainwater;

– a controlled treatment of the sewage from the cellar.

Air

Oxygen is the basic element for life, both for humans and plants, and all CO2 emissions pose a threat to air concentrations. We therefore pay attention to CO2 emissions throughout the entire production cycle:

– we are pushing and developing a project for the recovery of CO2, which is produced naturally by alcoholic fermentation;

– the use of solar and photovoltaic systems to generate thermal and electric energy; (photo) (see “FIRE” element for more details);

– in times where the electricity generated by our photovoltaic system is not sufficient to cover our needs, we rely exclusively on green electricity, “Energia Agricola a km 0”, which promotes savings in energy transport processes, the consistent reduction of CO2 emission and the reduction of pollution in the environment;

– reducing the weight of the bottles while it is clear that the weight of the bottle does not in any way affect the quality of the wine, it is clear that the weight of the glass has a significant impact on the CO2 emissions generated by transport, especially long-distance transport, and by the recovery and disposal processes;

– the use of recycled materials for packaging, especially glass and cardboard boxes;

– the use of the new eco-compatible NOMACORC GREEN LINE corks for all our wines (with the exception of our “Le Olle”, whose production regulations make natural corks compulsory): the patented composition of these ecological and recyclable corks is based on plant-based polymers obtained from sugar cane, a 100% renewable resource. The production of the compound used to produce the cap therefore has a positive environmental impact (i.e. it helps to absorb CO2 instead of producing it). In the year 2023 alone we avoided the release of 1044 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere (Certificate). Furthermore, the sugar cane used as raw material is grown in a socially responsible way, thus contributing to the reduction of social impacts in the food production chain. For further information, we suggest consulting the manufacturer's pages: www.vinventions.com/it/nomacorc.

– participation in the RAFCYCLE project, a circular economy program which is based on the recovery and recycling of waste materials from the original adhesive labels for the creation of new labels. In 2022 alone, we collected 3.5 tonnes of waste material, thus avoiding the emission of 0.66 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere in the case of incinerator or 4.86 tonnes in the case of landfill (Certificate). 
Für weitere Details:  https://www.upmraflatac.com/it/prodotti-e-servizi/servizi/servizi-di-riciclo-rafcycle/

Fire

We understand fire, of course, as thermal energy that is needed for heating, and electricity to operate the equipment and machinery needed for production and bottling.

In our own wine cellar:

– we have had solar collectors on our roofs for decades, which use the heat of the sun to produce hot water for washing, cleaning, sterilizing and heating, thus saving the use of heating systems that would consume energy and produce pollutants;

– a 161 kWp photovoltaic system has been installed on our roofs since 2015, producing solar energy for our own consumption.

In times of maximum production, we are able to cover the entire energy requirements of our winery in an eco-friendly;

– in case the solar energy is not sufficient to cover our needs, we use only “Energia Agricola a km 0”, produced by the farms of the members of Coldiretti Veneto and certified by ForGreen and EKOenergy (see certificate). In this way we promote savings in energy transport processes, the consequent reduction of CO2, and the reduction of pollution.

– since 2019 all lighting lamps have been replaced by LED lamps with lower consumption, longer lifespan and better performance.

– all our buildings are insulated with high-tech insulation materials that prevent any form of heat loss.

– the premises for the ageing of the wines in barrels and bottles, which requires lower temperatures than the normal ambient temperatures (12-14° C), have been built underground, allowing the use of the natural cool underground temperature and minimizing the need for refrigeration.