Costadilà

Ernesto Cattel founded Costadilà along with close friends Mauro and Leonello in 2006 and produced their first wine in 2007. The goal is to valorize and rejuvenate the rich agricultural traditions of Tarzo by reintroducing natural farming, however small the scale, to the region. The scope of the project goes well beyond wine, and emphasizes polyculture: the long term goal is to have vines, fruits, vegetables, cereals and livestock coexist on the same plots of land. They hope that by creating this example, they can have a model farm for the region, so other farmers who are trapped in monoculture can see the way out.

Everything at Costadilà is farmed organically. Ernesto, who has never studied agriculture or oenology, explained how he came to this decision:

"Working organically and not manipulating nature is much more favorable in the long term. Chemical agriculture seems beneficial in the short term, because you get instant results. But those quicker, easier results have repercussions. For example, if you use a herbicide, in the short term you've solved your grass problem. But then the soils have less life and micro-diversity, so yields suffer. So you use a chemical fertilizer, and now your yield problem is solved. But then your soils are even weaker and the vines, now lacking a proper immune system, become prone to disease and insects. So now you have to use pesticides and large quantities of sulfur to protect the vines. And even then, the vines become so over-exploited and ill that they can only live for about 25 years before they need to be ripped out and replanted. It's a vicious cycle that traps the farmer in continuing to use chemicals if he wants to keep his business going."

- Louis/Dressner Selections

*Sadly, Ernesto, the brainchild of the Costadilà project died in the summer of 2018. However, Mauro, Leonello, and the original partners are still involved and the project continues with the same philosophies, practices, and momentum that Ernesto put in motion.