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2016 Harvest

posted on 3 November 2016
The 2016 harvest is now over. So here we are, as usual, to see how things went this season, which, of course, went by in a flash… This 2016 growing year, in particular, just seemed to fly by, with vineyard operations that were unrelenting up to just before the harvest, but what we finally succeeded in bringing in to the cellar was a very good crop indeed, although at a certain point in the season things looked a bit bleak. The season started out quite warm and earlier than the norm, and it rained without much let up from mid-April until mid-June, which was unpleasant, to say the least. Then it rained again from mid-July to mid-August. Frankly, there were times when we feared that we would lose the greater part of our crop to disease, or to cold, during the critical stage of flowering. For those who, like us, farm organically, the measures that one can use in the vineyard are limited to better and more painstaking vineyard operations. That means constantly working the canopy, so that the clusters, even when just forming, will have excellent ventilation and exposure to sunlight, and anti-pest treatments must be applied timely, since allowed products and dosages are lower than conventional ones. I can say, with a bit of presumption, that we worked very skilfully, but we were also helped by the fact that the weather, at a certain point, turned in our favour, and we enjoyed almost two uninterrupted months of sun, from mid-August to the end of harvest, with warm days and cool nights, ideal conditions for slow, gradual ripening of the grapes. Now that the last few vats are finishing their fermentations, we can say, though with prudent caution, that we are pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wines, and that we are dealing with a good vintage, perhaps even better-balanced than the excellent 2015. We’re present at the Mercato dei Vini On 26 and 27 November, we will be participating in the Mercato dei Vignaioli Indipendenti (Market of Independent Winegrowers) in Piacenza, one of the most fascinating events of the entire year, above all for wine-lovers. PiacenzaExpo Public hours: Saturday, 12:30pm-7:30pm; Sunday, 11.00am-7.00pm Attendance: € 15.00, includes catalogue and tasting glass Discounted attendance: € 10.00 for members of AIS – FIS – FISAR – ONAV and SLOW FOOD Wine may be purchased directly at producers’ tasting stations. Cristina and Diego

Harvest in Cantrina

posted on 8 October 2009
Here we are almost at the end of the harvest (we still have to pick just a tiny part of our grapes and press those that we have set aside for drying) and so, strange as it may seem, it’s time to take stock of the overall situation once again. It was a precocious harvest for the early-ripening grapes (Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Sauvignon), due to early flowering in the spring and very favourable weather during the summer. The picking time for Merlot, Rebo and Marzemino was more in line with the norm, thanks to a fine September with cool nights and rain-free days. The health of the grapes and the first analyses of the new wines allow us to rate 2009 as a good year. Only time will tell us whether it will be an excellent vintage: yes, time, which is much more truthful than all those exaggerated proclamations we tend to be bombarded with each year as the harvest approaches…

Let’s talk about…Vinitaly 2009

posted on 20 March 2009
vendemmia 2019
Here we are getting ready for Vinitaly 2009, even if it seems to us less and less like a fair that is appropriate for small producers like ourselves: amid all the hustle and bustle of this great event it is difficult to explain to people about our “open-minded exercice de style”. This year, therefore, we are concentrating on alternative methods of getting together with our friends (let’s hear from you!). However, if you are at Vinitaly on 2nd and 3rd April you can find us in the Lombardy pavilion in the PalaExpo on stand C7. If you so desire, we will be able to give you more details about our new releases, which we will merely outline below: Groppello, an indigenous grape variety of the Valtènesi, has become a part of Cantina’s range; with the 2008 vintage we have sought to express and interpret the potential of this cultivar in line with our particular philosophy of production. Rinè 2007 will have a new label, which will also reflect a few small changes we have made in the wine itself. Incrocio Manzoni is the new grape variety that gives this wine a stronger identity.

Cantrina from the old to the new year

posted on 20 January 2009
2008 is now just a memory: it gave us cause for concern with its rains in the spring and then cause for satisfaction with a late summer and early autumn that were ideal for ripening the grapes. The harvest then took place in cool, dry weather conditions: this, together with our efforts to keep down yields, allowed us to pick healthy grapes with a good sugar/acid balance. The resulting wines combine concentration with very fresh aromas and flavours, suggesting that they will have excellent ageing potential. 2008 was also a year for reflection. We thought long and hard about the type of wines we produce, constantly asking ourselves the same questions: “Can we express our terroir even without using indigenous grapes?” and “Can we demonstrate that quality and personality are independent of autochthony?”
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