Natural corridors at Viña Lanciano

In our vineyard we carry out various sustainable practices with the aim of preserving not just the quality of the raw material but also the natural environment in which it grows.

Practically surrounded by the river, the vineyard is cocooned by the typical flora and fauna of this type of riverside habitat, with low woodland of kermes and holm oak, poplars and wild ash trees, which provide the ideal refuge for the local fauna and a stopping place for many migratory birds. In the canopies and the borders of the parcels we maintain and care for different species of shrubs, trees and grasses. In spring, daisies, poppies and wild flowers fill the budding vineyards with colour. In autumn, the landscape is flooded with ochres, reds and yellows.

By setting up nesting boxes and piling up small heaps of stones we seek to encourage the presence of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. This meander is the ideal habitat for partridges, hares and aquatic birds such as black kites, herons, ducks and kingfishers, as well as other species that use this spot as resting place on their migrations.

The fauna protects the vineyard

At Viña Lanciano you can find arthropods from all the arachnid and insect classes: predatory mites, phytoseids, thrips, heteroptera, chinch bugs, lacewings, coleoptera as well as diptera and hymenopterans with a wide range of bees, bumblebees, wasps, ladybugs and ants. Some of these are natural predators for the two-spotted spider mite and the smaller green leafhopper, two of the infestations that can occur in the vineyard, against which we use no kind of chemical insecticide.

Looking after local fauna that helps in the viticultural activities is just one part of the care that we taking in maintaining the natural ecosystem. Through the active practice of sustainable viticulture, we encourage the vine to build its own defences, we reduce soil erosion and improve its fertility, and we reduce environmental pollution. Through using largely manual practices, we manage water usage and we encourage the balance of flora and fauna in our vineyard.