Work and artisanship

The mother we share is the land that feeds us,
and we grow together with what she offers us
Béla Hamvas

To understand the character of each vineyard, we need to proceed with a rigorous separation of grapes both during the harvest and winemaking phases, in order to produce specific and unique wines.
Such attention, however, would lose all its meaning if it did not originate from working in the vineyard and from the possibility of gaining an in-depth, first-hand knowledge of plants using all our senses.
We are profoundly bound to the land on which our vines grow: it gives us strength, inspires us, and induces us to respect nature, placing great care on our interactions with the environment.

Just like any agricultural production, viticulture involves training a plant for cultivation - a plant that, with its large presence on a given surface, will alter the balance of the pre-existing ecosystem. 
As a consequence, the natural system will react by trying to contrast the invasion of the monoculture and the imbalance deriving from it to recreate a diversified, stable system.

Soil biodiversity is a determining factor in the development of the terroir and of vine resistance; its increase on agricultural land can help accelerate the harmonisation process of the ecosystem, while also contrasting the higher vulnerability to epidemic diseases related to microbiology or fauna.
As a matter of fact, not only do such measures reduce attacks by harmful organisms through the development of natural antagonists, but they also enhance the defence mechanisms of cultivated plants themselves.

The presence of a multitude of butterflies, beetles, wild bees and birds is a tangible sign of the fact that the entire system has found a new balance which is solidly rooted in the life that is activated at ground level.
A direct and essential consequence for viticulture is the growth of more long-lived vines that are able to absorb the precious elements of the soil more effectively, producing richer grapes and premium-quality wine.

The vineyard should be considered as a farming entity or, in other words, a diversified and complex ecosystem.
After all, only in such a case is it possible to speak of terroir.

The profile of organisms in the surface layer of the soil is the characterising trait of a place and is the one responsible for its “vital” quality. 
Indeed, the highly complex relationships between bacteria, enzymes, amoebas, fungi, algae, worms, and molluscs in the ground is of inestimable value for the development of the properties of mineral clays and thus for those of the soil itself.

Moreover, the activity of all the natural organisms in the ground is decisive for a balanced and healthy supply of nutrients to the vine, and is fundamental for the absorption of minerals contained in mineral clays and organic matter.

Damaging or partially destroying these fundamental agrobiological processes by using pesticides/fungicides/herbicides, etc. does not only lead to soil degradation and impoverishment, but also results in a substantial qualitative reduction in the “theoretical potential of the ground” or, to put it shortly, of the terroir.

This is the reason why we decided to adopt different strategies for the phytosanitary management of our vineyards, i.e.:

• Enhance the vines and improve their defence mechanisms through constant soil regeneration and continuous treatment with fortifying plants (nettle, camomile, valerian, inula, willow, etc.). Under this concept, in order to contribute to a broad diversification of microorganisms in the phyllosphere, before flowering, in early June, young leaves are repeatedly sprayed with serum and “preparation 500” (horn manure).
• Contain infestation-related diseases by means of an overlapping culture that becomes the habitat of antagonists. Planting trees and hedgerows around the vineyard, for example, creates an ideal environment for predatory mites, which have a regulating action on populations of harmful mites.
• Contrast disease and harmful organisms directly with natural phytosanitary products, i.e. substances that are also present in nature. These products may act directly on harmful organisms or have a stimulating and enhancing effect on the defence mechanisms of the plant.

Since the beginning, a journey of constant evolution has been undertaken at Pian dell’Orino to favour the restoration of balance and increase biodiversity.
The tangible effects may be immediate or may take years to emerge. However, every action carried out in our daily work and implied in the reflections and ideas driving it already carries with it a powerful, positive force.

A few examples:

1. A natural grass cover is grown between alternate rows and in the peripheral areas of the vineyards using a mix of seeds that, depending on the needs of different soil types, may include varying proportions of plants like pulses, Cruciferae, Polygonaceae and Umbrelliferae. Herbs are then flattened on the ground to safeguard insects and create a cover that will raise ground temperatures; 
2. Fruit trees are planted in the peripheral areas in the north-east and north-west (peach, plum, apricot, apple, quince, pear, almond, and walnut); 
3. Aromatic herbs and seeds are planted for bees on several different small parcels of the vineyards;
4. Trees (olive trees, rowans, field maples, chestnut trees, willows, elders) and hedges (common hazels, rush brooms, dog roses, etc.) are planted on the edges of parcels and are partly used for row intercropping;
5. Hedges (laurels and willows) are planted for protection from the wind in the outer and more exposed areas;
6. Marginal parcels are converted to flowery meadows and orchards;
7. Beehives are placed in all vineyards;
8. Nests are put in place for singing birds and roosts for birds of prey;
9. In all vineyards, small pyramids of stones are built to provide shelters and dens for various species of reptiles;
10. Every 3-5 years, the soil is supplied with nutrients through a biodynamic compost (made up of pomace, grape stalks, cow manure and biodynamic preparations 502-507 > see section “Biodynamics” for further information);
11. An experimentation with vegetable charcoal (Biochar) is being conducted to improve the air/water ratio in the root layer and enrich the soil with lignin, phenols, proteins, and minerals;
12. Fungal activity and mychorriza development are stimulated through the supply of slow-decay organic matter, such as chopped up vine shoots.