linea

Storyteller

Spring 2018 in the vineyard

posted on 21 May 2018
…and here it is already May… The vineyards this spring went through budbreak right on schedule, or nearly, but the weather in April, which was warm and sunny, advanced vine development, slightly earlier than in past seasons. The shoots are pushing out rapidly now and with a consistency we rarely see, so we are marching with giant steps to that magical, fragrant moment of the flowering of our future clusters. Work in the vineyards is proceeding very well—suckering, shoot thinning and positioning—to ensure the best possible vine growth and health, which was helped this year by a spring in which rains and sun alternated in a very helpful balance. Particularly fascinating in this period is the flowering of the many wild grasses that grow in our vineyards, giving them the appearance of a brightly-coloured natural garden. The flowering of the facelia is particularly impressive. It is part of the seed mixture we chose for our in-row cover crop, which then goes into the earth as green manure to enrich the soil with organic material and to replenish soil health—really a wonderful show!

Trip to the USA…

posted on 5 May 2017
After two years of working closely with Sussex Wine Merchants, I finally flew to New York to personally meet their team. I found them very accommodating and ultra-efficient, and they planned and helped me with every stop on my itinerary.

Spring is pressing on “full speed ahead”

posted on 20 April 2017
Spring is pressing on “full speed ahead”, and the vineyard is rushing right along with it… The vines budded out quite vigorously this year, and helped by the warm temperatures of recent weeks, vine growth is running some two weeks ahead of norm.

Soreli

posted on 8 February 2017
Azienda Agricola Cantrina
If any of you visited us recently, you will have noticed on entering that a good part of the small vineyard growing at the entrance and covering the cellar was grubbed up. Was it because of the wrong rootstock, or maybe too many passes with the tractor compacted the soil, or the wrong grape variety for the soil, poor-quality vines, or…? As a matter of fact, a good part of the vines were in bad condition and even dead, so much so that we had to take them out.
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