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The wine-grower’s post-harvest wrap-up

posted on 27 October 2017
Now that the fermentations are nearly finished, it’s time for our usual overview with respect to the 2017 harvest – or perhaps better, the 2017 vintage year. As expected, the extremely hot weather and lack of rainfall – some 60% less than normal – that marked the entire season brought the harvest forward by two full weeks, which meant that on 18 August the first pinot noir clusters for Rosanoire were already in the cellar, and the white grapes came in just one week later. We held our breath and exercised patience, though, with the later-ripening reds, and we were suitably rewarded with fine levels of ripeness. In fact, a couple of heavy rainfalls between the end of August and early September helped heat-stressed vines to recover their balance and to deliver grapes that were ripe, sound, and healthy. On the organic front, the weather throughout the season was of great help in keeping in check fungal and insect attacks, so much so that we had to carry out very few treatments, and those with very low use of sulphur and copper, about a third of what was necessary last year! Actually, the only really sour note of this 2017 season was the freeze on 19 April, which did much damage to the Groppello vineyard in Macesina and to the white-grape vineyards right below the winecellar, significantly reducing the crops there. All the wines, on the other hand, show good quality. This is particularly true for the reds from the last grapes to be brought in; we wouldn’t want to go overboard, but we are really in love with a couple of vats… So, taking everything into consideration, we would say Yes, we can say that this vintage is an excellent one, also because this is the first year that we enjoy official organic certification for nearly all our wines (Groppello Valtènesi in still in the conversion process for another year). GUIDA SLOW WINE 2018 On 14 October we were at the awards ceremony of Guida Slow Wine 2018 to receive our accolade as a producer of outstanding “Everyday Wine,” namely our Valtènesi 2016 (100% groppello). The event concluded with a tasting of all the awarded wines, held in the magnificent spaces of the Terme del Tettuccio in Montecatini Terme. MERCATO DEI VIGNAIOLI, 25-26 November In late November, as usual, we will be at the Mercato dei Vignaioli Indipendenti  in the Palaexpo in Piacenza. This marketplace, sponsored by the FIVI (Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers), growing in size and importance every year, makes it possible for wine-lovers to taste wines together with the winegrower and to bring home a bottle or two.

2014 harvest… totally difficult, but not impossible

posted on 15 October 2014
We have finally finished this year’s troubled harvest, and after our series of tastings we feel that we can now give a very preliminary judgment on this year’s wines. The factors that characterised this growing season were huge amounts of rain, low average temperatures, little sun, and a summer that we saw only for brief moments. These conditions created a host of problems, with the grapes struggling to achieve ripeness and various fungal attacks – despite our constant efforts in the vineyards – affecting both clusters and leaves.

New Valtènesi DOC and Groppello

posted on 9 August 2014
1 September marks the official release of our first vintage of Valtènesi DOC, 2013. In point of fact, Cantrina’s Valtènesi is not a new product, since it simply takes the place of Groppello, with the same 100% of that variety and the same label design (in which the term Valtènesi replaces the name of the Groppello grape), but the change gives increased importance to the name of the growing area in which we live and produce our wines. It will just take a bit of time to get used to the new name and to communicate the message about the growing area, before that of the grape variety.

Rischi del mestiere…

posted on 7 July 2014
Dopo anni che non ci colpiva o ci aveva solo sfiorato, la “signora” ci ha fatto visita nella notte del 24 giugno interrompendo bruscamente una stagione che fin qui si presentava più che ottima: d’altra parte è un fatto ciclico e prima o poi doveva capitare anche a noi… C’è voluto qualche giorno per recuperare le energie e la voglia di analizzare serenamente l’entità dei danni, che per ora sembrano limitati ad una perdita di quantità, “solo” un 30/40% della produzione.
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