Cavit's PICA Project: where the future of wine technology has already begun

Andrea Faustini - Oenologist, Scientific Manager of Cavit's Agronomic Team and the PICA Project - talks exclusively to Vinitaly about the PICA Project: the Integrated Agricultural Cartographic Platform, which today represents the most advanced technology in Italy for implementing precision, intelligent and eco-sustainable wine-growing. Can you tell us about PICA? PICA for us at Cavit is a matter of great of pride. This ambitious project implemented constantly year after year was launched by Cavit in 2010 to meet the need for complete management of the wine production process, from growing the grapes to the final stages of wine-making. It inter-links several different software tools and makes them compatible with consolidated production activities and customs. The system is complex but its operation is straightforward and immediate. The PICA IT platform networks the vineyards looked after by more than 5,250 wine-growers belonging to Cavit's eleven cooperative wineries: It "collects" data and "returns" useful information to the members. The information arriving through the management software from the various wine cellars is integrated with databases of agricultural interest (Trentino Soil Map and Meteo-Climatic Atlas), so that agronomists can carry out advanced cartographic management of wine-growing data, as well as consult the models and forecasts made available by an excellent research network. This makes it easy to find out everything about each vineyard, starting with the choice of the most suitable vine for different soil and climate features, and consequently manage work without wasting resources. For example, by combining the soil characteristics with weather forecasts, it is possible to plan vineyard irrigation in the best possible way by calculating the effective needs of the vines. Without wasting water. I was personally involved in this project and it was implemented in collaboration with the Edmund Mach Foundation, the Bruno Kessler Foundation, with its spin-off MPA Solutions, and the CNR Research Centre in Florence. How does Cavit put sustainability policy into practice? The main projects we will continue to be involved in also include a commitment to sustainability, where PICA, as already mentioned, plays an effective role. In more than seventy years of activity, Cavit has developed singular expertise where the values of the supply chain are linked with avant-garde technological and scientific research to generate an approach to wine that combines tradition, innovation and respect for the environment. Sustainability and environmental protection have long been cornerstones of local culture in the Trentino region; even more so, when the quality of the territory is of vital importance, this sense of responsibility becomes essential. How is it possible to enhance the terroir and biodiversity in vineyards by reducing their environmental impact? First of all, choosing the grape variety and rootstock that best suit the type of soil and climatic conditions characteristic of specific vineyard terroirs. A grape variety located in an optimal cultivation environment is well set to achieve the best vegetative-productive balance and therefore is less exposed to water and temperature stresses. Furthermore, wine-growing is a tradition in the Trentino region and vineyard work - such as eliminating leaves in front of bunches and excess shoots - are performed manually to create a sunny and ventilated environment around the grapes. The use of these agronomy techniques helps to reduce the number of tasks need for disease control. To help enhance biodiversity, we have moved away from planting single-variety vineyards to an approach that involves planting different varietal biotypes in the same vineyard. Furthermore, to improve the biodiversity of the that live in vineyards, spontaneous grassing is used between the rows, allowing plant species to bloom during the season to encourage the presence of useful insects, which act as natural antagonists to pests. How do you communicate sustainability? By investing in innovative projects capable of responding to the effective needs of our value chain (as in the case of Pica) as well as embracing sustainability in three dimension - environmental, social and economic. I believe that this is already itself an initial form of communication. It is also essential to convey these concepts in the best possible way, through clear and transparent messages that emphasise their value.