Podere Forte
Brand Description
Podere Forte, the star of Val d'Orcia The enterprise of an engineer & farmer
"Every corner of the earth has been given to us on loan. It is not enough to return it to future generations intact. We have a responsibility to make it better: this is our idea of spirituality."
In a historical Tuscan village, a farmer-engineer runs an agricultural company that covers 500 hectares (27 of which are vineyards, 16 hectares of which are in production), five million square metres in the Val d'Orcia (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004), on the Sienese hills. His name is Pasquale Forte and he defines himself as an 'orchestra conductor'. His 'musicians' produce above all great wines, and take care of the vineyards, the olive groves, the botanical garden, the breeding of Cinta Senese pigs (from which they obtain excellent cold cuts), the flock of sheep, the Chianina cows, the farmyard animals – including chickens, hens, guinea fowl and rabbits – and even the wheat fields surrounding the iconic Vitaleta Chapel.
It all began in the mid-1990s when the engineer visited the Castiglione d'Orcia area and fell madly in love with it. In 1997 he decided to set up the farm that bears his name, discovering on the land a place with a centuries-old history: the abandoned Podere Petrucci. It would become the place he chose to restore the Valdorcian agricultural and wine-growing tradition. From this encounter a new and ancient entity was born, poised to inherit the commitment of generations of farmers refined by a wealth of contemporary experience.
This is Podere Forte.
Location of Vineyard
The Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, encircles the Podere Forte. The estate was founded in 1997 by Pasquale Forte, a visionary entrepreneur who has created a balanced system where every element complements the others, following the principles of organic and biodynamic agriculture. The old concept of the corte romana has been recreated on the 500 ha estate: a place where people, plants and animals coexist in harmony and sustainable self-sufficiency. A celebration of biodiversity.
Winemaking Philosophy
At Podere Forte, Steiner's philosophy is a way of life, a balance of observing and working the land.
The philosophy followed and applied by Pasquale Forte in the winery is based on the anthroposophical teachings of Rudolf Steiner, based on fairness and respect. Biodynamic agriculture is a way of being, and of observing and working the land. The aim is not to watch the earth do its work, but to help it.
The three principles of biodynamics are: maintaining the fertility of the soil; making the plants healthy so that they can resist diseases and parasites; and producing quality food for human health.
Since 1997 Podere Forte has adhered to these simple but decisive rules and has become a farm unparalleled in Italy. Ancient and modern. Traditional and futuristic. The scientific and meticulous analysis of the land, the rearing of animals, the in-house production of compost, the architectural integration of the cellar and the use of the most advanced technologies, in full respect of the environment: nothing is left to chance and everything contributes to creating a self-sufficient and virtuous ecosystem, so that at the Podere, the work of man and nature are brought into harmony.
A reality that pursues perfection and quality in complete and total respect for the environment.
Winery Profile
Acclaim
