In apple growing, I am a Vinschgau traditionalist, which means that even in organic farming I place great trust in the classics: Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Gala. I am firmly convinced that these varieties thrive better than any others on my plots above 800 meters in Tarres. More than 20 years ago, I took over the farm from my uncle, back then with no experience at all and far more passionate about horses than apples. But the love for apples soon arrived and over the years it took stronger and stronger hold of me. Since becoming a full-time organic farmer, the whole family has been riding this sustainable wave. And the great passion for horses has remained an integral part of everyday life at Siglgut: Haflingers, Arabians, and a pony. My daughter Elisa is a trained equine specialist in the keeping and care of these noble animals. She offers individual lessons for beginners and fully immerses herself in her work.
Alongside fruit growing, we also run a farm holiday business with four lovingly furnished apartments next to my family’s 600-year-old, heritage-protected farmhouse. We are open year-round and always take the time for conversations with our guests. My wife Brigitte and our three daughters Tanja, Marilena, and Elisa, like me, are fascinated by the fact that with organics you learn something new every day – and that this knowledge can be shared. I don’t have a son, but that’s no problem: with three daughters, the young men come by themselves. So Elisa’s boyfriend, my future son-in-law, is already very active on the farm. There is always a lot to do: the hens must be cared for and protected from foxes, if the horses don’t already take care of that. The horses are fed organic hay, the hens get organic flour with good minerals, the apricot field and apple orchards need to be studied and tended, and the guests’ curiosity must be satisfied.
At night, the friendly dormouse (in Vinschgau dialect “Glair”) sometimes pays us a visit and nibbles on our fruit with delight. With its big eyes it looks so innocent that one could never be angry with it. And who could blame it – after all, it too knows that Vinschgau apples taste truly wonderful.
