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Biodynamic agriculture is, by definition, a philosophy that allows a farm to become a living being inside the broader context of the entire universe. At Podere Le Ripi we started undertaking biodynamic farming in 2012, one step at a time trying to ask ourselves questions and becoming sensitive not only towards the vineyard but also towards everything that surrounded it. Yes, the setting does matter, in fact that is where “ecological health” is born, which unites all living beings and that should be the only north star to follow, because of the effects on those of us who live in the fields, and for those who consume our products. Also, because we aspire to tell the story of a territory in its clearest expression through its product: wine. Podere le Ripi is certified Organic and Biodynamic according to Demeter requirements, but even today we feel we are part of a free act, which does not follow standards or rules but matures and evolves with the passing of time.
Thanks to biodynamic farming, we went from being a winery that only produced wine, to creating a real and tangible ecosystem. Looking towards something that was more complex and more ambitious, something that in biodynamic farming terms is called Agricultural Organism, an organization within which biodiversity and the wealth of interconnections between living beings are promoted in each agricultural action.
In 2018 we then decided to dedicate 6 hectares of our estate to this purpose, creating a synergic vegetable garden, orchards that we added to the already existing centuries-old olive groves, beehives, lakes and spaces where we could raise small flocks of animals. This garden has multiple functions: in addition to enriching biodiversity, it aims to preserve ancient species of fruits and vegetables cultivated according to biodynamic practices and thus guaranteeing the exclusion of synthetic molecules; it has also become reason of study and research. The vegetable garden happens to be the perfect place for the production of the main biodynamic preparation: herbal teas and decoctions that we use more and more often. The aim is to become increasingly independent by producing most of these preparations directly on the farm, as we already do with the cow-horn manure.
Animals are another important step we have taken towards the increase of life in our farm, to this day, they are still not in sufficient numbers to produce the amount of fertilizer we need, but we are working on it! In addition to (more or less) thirty sheep and goats, a few donkeys, many birds, we also have a cow thanks to which we can close the circle and produce our 500. We feel blessed while we watch them run free in the vineyard fields during the vegetative rest (fall and winter) and we are definitely sure that somewhere in the vineyard, among our plants, other living beings are giving thanks.
In 2020 all we had was 5 hives, which seemed the bare minimum for a farm with our philosophy! But everything changed with the arrival of Enzo! A true expert on the subject who today deals with beekeeping within Podere Le Ripi. Enzo raises more than 200 hives, that he devides in smaller groups to follow the various seasonal blooms between the Amiata Mountain and Montalcino. Anything from chestnut, to honey suckle, to ivy and strawberry tree etc. We produce more than seven different monovarietal honeys and a couple of types of pollen, it all depends on the climate.
Some honeys have become the main characters of our spirits: our grappa and Vermouth. The honey is collected and jarred entirely within our farm in a small but well-equipped lab that we have been setting up to perfection over time. Once again we had fun adding more life to the company but also learning a new job.
