Terralsole Organic Certification in 2018

In 2017, intern and industry professional Jacqueline Ouellet interviewed Athena Tergis Bollag about changes in vineyard management over the preceding 15 years. When Athena arrived in Montalcino in 2003, cultivation relied more heavily on machinery and differed markedly from the methods later adopted across the area.

Terralsole had followed mostly organic practices from its beginning, then completed a formal three-year conversion and received full biological certification in 2018. Athena described the broader organic movement in Montalcino and Italy as a shift from merely working the ground to actively nurturing it.

Earlier management, including at Terralsole, had involved extensive tillage to break up clay and move nutrients toward vine roots. By the time of the interview, the estate had spent approximately five years moving away from that model. Its goal became preserving soil life and developing an indigenous ecosystem in every vineyard row.

The new regime required more time, manual work and care than machinery-led cultivation. The vineyards consequently became more vigorous and resilient, including during the severe drought of 2017. Athena also associated the change with increased complexity, concentration and balance in the wines.