Behind the Wheel: A Sustainable Vintage

Dec 30, 2021 4:00 PM ET

Take a virtual tour of the Fontanafredda organic vineyard in northern Italy, as it works to produce the world’s first zero-emission Barolo wine. From the vine to the wine, with a little help from a New Holland prototype tractor powered by a FPT Industrial engine running on biomethane, this latest episode in the Behind the Wheel series explores how this sustainable cultivation will be created: cnhindustrial.com/ASustainableVintage

“Welcome to the most beautiful place in the world,” beams Andrea Farinetti, owner of the prestigious Fontanafredda vineyard in the Langhe wine-growing region of northern Italy. This idyllic setting is where New Holland Agriculture and FPT Industrial, agriculture and powertrain brands of CNH Industrial N.V (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI), have come together to help accelerate what Farinetti calls the “Green Renaissance”, a transition to more sustainable agriculture within their estate. Fontanafredda’s mission is to create an emissions-free wine making process from start to finish, and their only missing piece was a net-zero carbon footprint tractor – a need CNH Industrial’s biomethane-powered prototype perfectly fulfills.

The episode captures aerial views of the tractor as it expertly navigates the steep slopes and difficult terrain between the precious Barolo vines. This prototype, specially designed for Fontanafredda, is based on the New Holland Agriculture crawler vineyard tractor. Its FPT Industrial F28 Natural Gas engine is powered by natural gas produced by the anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste, promoting a circular economy.

A series of informative and passionate interviews with key players illustrates how the partnership of Fontanafredda and CNH Industrial came together through a shared desire to promote sustainable viticulture. This will culminate in the world’s first zero-emission Barolo wine cultivation. The success of the biomethane tractor marks another milestone on the journey to decarbonizing agriculture for CNH Industrial and its brands.

Andrea Farinetti’s enthusiasm is infectious and his delight at being able to claim his wine will be emissions-free is palpable. Watch the story of this sustainable vintage at: cnhindustrial.com/ASustainableVintage