Interview with Alessio Planeta, member of Sostain Sicilia | Travel Italy

We are located on the top of Monte Orfano, at the Convent of the Most Holy Annunciation: here, in an exceptional spot in the Brescia landscape, is home to the Bellavista Winery, a centuries-old place of wine production that currently houses 100% Chardonnay grapes. Overlooking Lake Iseo, the Convent is immersed in a pleasant hilly environment, about 450 meters above sea level, and since the mid-fifteenth century it has been a historic landmark of the Franciacortino municipality of Rovato, still accessible today through guided tours organized by the Bellavista

Winery.

Trying not to let ourselves be carried away by the landscape, in this interview we will focus on the issue of sustainability, talking about it together with Alessio Planeta, founder of the homonymous winery and member of the board of directors of the SoStain Sicilia association.

How was SoStain born? What does the project consist of?

The association was founded two years ago, with the objective of promoting the ethics of sustainability in the Sicilian territory: to do this, it was important to create a network of producers willing to follow precise rules of conduct, summarized in ten principles by SoStain. Modernly speaking, it is not enough to focus on the concept of “organic”, it is the entire production chain that must adapt to the most recent standards, borrowed from the 2030 Agenda

for Sustainable Development.

A concrete example that reflects efforts in this regard is the desire to create a completely Sicilian bottle, reusing glass in a virtuous path of recovering raw materials: 96% of recycled glass will be reached

.

How many manufacturers are part of SoStain? Could you explain to us more about what it actually means to join the project?

Twenty-six producers are currently involved in the project, including Giuseppe Bursi, president of Cantine Settesoli, Letizia Russo di Mezzocorona, Arianna Occhipinti, who needs no introduction, and the president Alberto Tasca, CEO of Tasca D'Almeria.

The decalogue to which we adhere concerns first and foremost compliance with at least one production specification on eco-sustainability.

Our companies do not practice chemical weeding, they allow biodiversity to thrive, they use biodegradable or recyclable materials for new crops, with the use of local raw materials: all members are required to monitor the indicators relating to carbon dioxide emissions, the consumption of fresh water used in general and for the production of 0.75L bottles, land use and good agronomic practices.

If we wanted to deepen the technical aspects of the project, we should also consider the energy consumption per liter of wine produced, which must be less than 0.7 kW/h, or even the average weight of the still wine bottles produced, which must be below 550g/0.75L. Each of these parameters must be included in an annual report, a gesture of transparency that testifies to the commitment made by companies to environmental sustainability

.

All this certainly shows that sustainability is not just a badge, in this case. How do you communicate to young people the importance of what you are doing?

In Sicily we have organized road shows, which are accompanied by seminars and the online communication of our websites: all this, however, is not enough to involve the new generations, who must get to touch first hand the beauty of the atmosphere that can be breathed in places like this. The best way to get to know a winery is to visit it, after all. Or listen to a good podcast that talks about the world of wine

.