AUTUMN IN CAIAROSSA – Cultivating fertility, preserving balance

🍂 AUTUMN IN CAIAROSSA

Cultivating fertility, preserving balance

Autumn in Caiarossa is a time to focus on vineyard care, especially on improving soil health. After the harvest efforts, the vines begin their transition into winter dormancy. Our goal is to support this phase by restoring the soil and preparing it for the next growing season.

We follow several key practices: applying our own compost, sowing green manure, and using biodynamic preparation 500.

Compost: circular nourishment

Our compost is made in-house using grape marc and pruning waste, combined with manure from certified organic farms nearby. It’s applied to the most stressed vineyard areas, with careful attention to each plot.

The goal of the compost is to enhance the soil’s structure, composition, and vitality by adding organic matter and stimulating microbial life.

Green manure: balance and biodiversity

We also sow green manure, a mix of plant species chosen for their specific benefits:

• Grasses help prevent erosion with their fibrous root systems, which spread horizontally. They’re rich in carbon and, when paired with nitrogen, help balance soil biology and promote humus formation.
• Legumes are natural nitrogen fixers. They absorb nitrogen from the air and return it to the soil, enriching it without synthetic inputs.
• Brassicaceae have deep taproots that help reduce soil compaction, especially in clay-rich areas. Some varieties also help control nematodes, protecting the vines from harmful pests.

These plants also support biodiversity. During flowering, they attract helpful insects—pollinators and natural pest predators—that help regulate the vineyard ecosystem. After flowering, the green manure is chopped and incorporated into the soil, adding organic matter and improving its texture.

Preparation 500: biodynamic vitality

To complete the soil regeneration cycle, we use biodynamic preparation 500, also known as horn manure. It is made by filling a cow horn with manure, burying it in autumn, and allowing it to mature until spring. Once ready, it is stored in ceramic jars, kept away from direct light. The preparation is then stirred in a copper vessel with rainwater and applied drop by drop in the vineyard at dusk. This preparation is a cornerstone of biodynamic farming, known for its ability to activate soil life and strengthen the connection between plant and environment.

A holistic approach

Since its founding in 1998, Caiarossa has followed the principles of Biodynamic Agriculture, earning Demeter certification in 2005. We see soil, plants, animals, and people as part of one living system. Biodynamics puts soil vitality at the center, and we work with care to restore and enhance its natural fertility.