Integrated Protection at Cortes de Cima

What is sustainable viticulture or viticulture raisonée ?

Our vineyards and olive groves are accredited under a sustainable program called ‘Integrated Protection’. Under this program, we are required to only use ‘soft’ chemicals, and only when symptoms appear – preventive spraying is not permitted. Our vineyards and olive trees are subject to spot checks for any non compliance by independent monitors.

Our ‘illegal’ Smart Dyson trellis system is also a great help in reducing chemical usage in the vineyard. The grapes are more exposed to the sun and air circulation, reducing fungus and mildew attacks naturally.

As global warming pushes temperatures up, water use is another important issue in the vineyard. We are completely self sufficient for our irrigation needs, only using water from our own reservoirs, which are replenished during the rainy winter months. Our vineyards are all irrigated following a system of ‘regulated deficit’ drip irrigation. “It´s important for grape quality to always give the vines less water than they want .” explains Hans. ” Water is a precious resource and we try to use only as much as we need.”