Recently, had the pleasure to review some eco-friendly Italian white wines by Elena Walch. One of the more notable wines of the grouping was a 2012 Pinot Bianco. The Pinot Biano was a delight! Straw yellow in color, it had the aromas of fresh apples and other fruitiness. This wine was dry and acidic with lots of minerality, and rounded with a nice medium-long finish. This wine has a nice mouth feel and was enjoyable by itself and also paired with grilled salmon.
Pinot Bianco is the same grape as Pinot Blanc (different name in Italy than France) and is a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. Italian Pinot Biancos are light and refreshing and tend to pair well with light fish and poultry dishes.
Elena Walch is a family-owned Alto Adige wine estate that prides itself on its sustainability. Some of the steps the winery has taken to be sustainable in the vineyard, wine cellar, and packaging include:
- No use of herbicides in the vineyard
- Adhering to the guidelines of eco-friendly viniculture and its list of measures allowed for combatting infections
- Experimenting with small parcels of organic cultivation
- Continuous analysis of water requirements of the vines using several monitors
- Exclusive use of water-saving drip irrigation
- Alternating mowing of rows to preserve the natural habitat for beneficial insects
- Use of environmentally friendly disruption tactics to control the grapevine moth
- Leaf pulling of the vines for better air circulation and therefore reduction of risk for disease
- Cultivation of the disease-resistant PIWI white wine variety “Bronner,“ whose first vintage is planned to go on the market in 2016
- 45% of energy use comes from photovoltaic system (solar energy)
- Nearly 50% reduction of water consumption through a water recycling system, reusing the cooling water for garden irrigation and cellar cleaning
- Use of gravity instead of frequent pumping of wine thanks to the hillside location of the wine cellar
- Energy conservation thanks to the deep underground and therefore naturally cooled wine cellar
- Half of their corks come from certified forests (FSC) and are unbleached, undyed, and chemical-free
- Use of lighter glass for their “Selezione” wines for a better CO2 balance
- Glue-free gift packaging
- Use of two hybrid cars
I received samples of Elena Walch wine for my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
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It never occurred to me that pinot blanc and Pinot bianco are the same. Makes total sense. Thanks for the lesson! I’ll be on the lookout for this!
Sounds amazing smooth and left me thristy for a glass of good wine today , thank you
This Pinot Bionco sounds yummy! Really like that they don’t use herbicides and all the steps they take for sustainability!!