Wine must intrigue,
excite, amaze and  amuse...

ITA  |  ENG

SAURO MAULE

Born and raised in San Germano dei Berici, in the midst of nature, cattle and horses, Sauro attended the Trentin agricultural institute in Lonigo (VI) and after 5 years of studies, he went to work on his father Lino’s farm in Dorno (Pavia), where cattle are raised and crops are grown. In 2008, Sauro returned to Vicenza and began to think about what he wanted to do when he grew up: "my passion is wine, but also the earth, nature.” 

He decided to rent some vineyards and replant others that he inherited from his family, turning them from the pergola training system to guyot. In 2010, he met Angiolino Maule, a childhood friend of his father, and Angiolino suggested that Sauro start off by making some wine in his cellar.

"In 2011, I finally decided to jump in with both feet and turn the grapes from the family vineyards into what were my first wines - Granselva - a white from Garganega and Sauvignon Blanc, and my first red, made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - the Cà Lombarda."

Sauro stayed with Angiolino Maule until the 2016 harvest, on a steep learning curve and gaining experience in a world that had been completely unknown to him just a few years before: "I had some experience in the cultivation of the land and vineyards, but not in winemaking."

In 2017, renovation works on an animal shed in San Germano, which had started in 2014, finally reached completion. The harvest of that same year (2017) was the first in the new cellar: "an unforgettable and exciting experience."

VISION

“Making wine following the principles of "organic" or "natural" is not just a whimsical idea. Rather it is a journey through emotions, ideals, strengths, and sometimes a bit of luck. It is a journey made of hard work, study and a bit of madness. Every year everything must be repeated, but as Nature teaches us, the result will never be the same. Each year is a new story, each year you discover something new and learn little details that could make a big difference in winemaking for years to come."

When, at the end of the season, you believe that you have developed a method, you will promptly find yourself inexorably denied the following year by the myriad of changing factors that you fortunately cannot control at all.

Growing grapes in respect of nature, without using pesticides or synthetic substances, is also very satisfying from a moral point of view. "Day after day you know that your work is not destabilizing the environment around you and that you are living in symbiosis, without causing any harm."

"NATURAL" METHOD

Growing organically takes more effort and means more hours of manual labour, but we want and need our work to be eco-sustainable; we must preserve the environment in which we live by trying to respect it.

An organic vineyard is teeming with life, with strong, penetrating roots exploring deep into the soil to create territoriality. When we spray treatments in the vineyard, we use very limited amounts of copper and sulphur, and in the cellar a little sulphur dioxide is used, only if strictly necessary.

IN THE VINEYARD

It is in the vineyard that a great wine is born, a wine which reflects the place in which it was made; this is a fundamental concept for us, our way of making “Natural” wine. The time spent in the vineyard is crucial; it all starts with pruning, an agronomic practice that is very important for the annual production cycle of the vine, but also for the following season and for the future of the vine itself.

Green pruning, together with green harvesting, also plays an important role in determining the quality and healthiness of the grapes. The busiest months are from May to July, as we focus on the canopy management, allowing the bunches to receive as much air and sun as possible, both essential for the health of the plants and the grapes.

Green pruning, together with green harvesting, also plays an important role in determining the quality and healthiness of the grapes. The busiest months are from May to July, as we focus on the canopy management, allowing the bunches to receive as much air and sun as possible, both essential for the health of the plants and the grapes.

PRUNING

When we spray, we prioritise treatments which are designed to stimulate the plant's defences, products made with propolis, algae and other microorganisms. Copper and sulphur are unfortunately still necessary, even if we always try to reduce and optimize the doses every year. Even in the most difficult growing seasons, we don’t exceed 3 kg / ha of copper and 10 kg / ha of sulphur.

We only conduct organic fertilization for maintenance requirements, based on the real needs of the land, which we periodically monitor with analysis of the various parameters.

HARVEST

The harvest is strictly carried out by hand, in small crates of about 12/15 kg. We always work the grapes in the coolest hours of the day. Normally, in each vineyard plot, the harvest takes place in 2 phases: in the first step we collect the less ripe grapes that will be vinified in the "base" wines; in the second step we collect the healthier and more mature ones, destined for more structured wines.

IN THE CELLAR

The work in the cellar mirrors that done in the vineyard, the aim is to leave the grapes free to express themselves, without manipulation. Spontaneous fermentation without the use of yeasts or other substances, delicate de-stemming and limited use of pumps, oxygenation with abundant air in the fermentation phase and frequent topping up in the maturation stage. Use of sulphur dioxide is limited to when problems with the fermentation or the wine occur. We absolutely do not use it out of habit or as standard protocol.

For the fermentations we use stainless steel tanks, while for any skin-contact, we use 15 hl floating-lid steel tanks, which can be racked off by gravity with the forklift to avoid using the pump. We also use wooden barrels of 15 and 20 hectoliters, both for the fermentation of the best grapes of garganega, and for the maturation of Pri, My Tai and Peter Pan.

VINNATUR

Being a member of VinNatur is a source of great pride for a winemaker who, like me, believes in "natural" wine. The association allows members to participate in fairs and events that it organizes in Italy and around the world; indispensable opportunities to present our wines known to a wide and specialized public, but also to passionate consumers. VinNatur is also actively involved in conducting scientific research, connecting winemakers directly to universities and external professionals who help us grow by studying with us the dynamics of nature and our work: from the soil to the plant, from fermentation to wine, allowing us to make choices which are more appropriate and sensible both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

4 SEASON & NATURE in the VINEYARDS...

WINTER TIME

SPRING TIME

SUMMER TIME

AUTUMN TIME

ITA  |  ENG