JACOPO BIONDI SANTI’S WINE WINS BATTLE AGAINST THE SPANISH WIND TURBINE COLOSSAL GAMESA. TUSCAN COURTS RULE IN FAVOR OF MONTEPO AND HAVE DEEMED THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE WIND TURBINE PARK, WHICH WAS RECENTLY INAUGURATED, AS ILLEGITIMATE

The Don Quixote of wine, Jacopo Biondi Santi, has successfully defeated the giant this time by winning the case against the construction of a wind turbine park by the Spanish company Gamesa around the Castle of Montepò in the municipality of Scansano, the territory where Biondi Santi produces an excellent Morellino and other world-renowned wines. The Tuscan courts ruled in favor of Jacopo Biondi Santi and the association Italia Nostra by declaring “the authorization (given by the Tuscany Region and the Grosseto Province) for construction of a wind turbine park is illegitimate”.

Many reasons were given for the illegitimacy of the park: from the dissimilarity of the project for the “Poggi Alti” wind park (inaugurated just a few days ago) in regards to the General Regulatory Plan for the municipality of Scansano, to the illegitimate exclusion, by the Tuscany Region, of the Environmental Impact Evaluation’s (VIA) approval for the project, as well as the excess of control by some of the directing acts made by the Grosseto Province.

The lawyers representing the Castle of Montepò, Gianluigi Cerutti of Rovigo and Gioia Centonze of Grosseto, were satisfied with the decision. And Jacopo Biondi Santi stated: “It is an immense satisfaction, for the first time a wine producer beats an energy colossal. I want to thank all of those who have made this ‘victory’ possible, in particular, the Vice Premier and Minister of Cultural Heritage, Francesco Rutelli, who took the problem to heart and with extraordinary professionalism and sensitivity corrected an incorrect decision by the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage of Siena. It is important to specify, however, that I am not against wind power or alternative energy in general, but that in this case, given the context, it was unthinkable”.

It is now to be seen what the reaction of Poggi Alti Srl, the company constituted to construct the wind park for Gamesa, will be. The group will probably make a court appeal, but given the motivations for the Tuscan Court’s ruling it seems almost impossible that an alternative solution to the dismantling of the ten wind turbines that have already been constructed around the Castle of Montepò will be determined.