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Tag Archives: vineyard

Are you ready? The Barolo Serralunga 2008 is on its way!

2008 is a vintage that will fill you with big emotions. The cool September of that year ensured this Barolo extraordinary vegetable notes and notable acidity, guaranteeing increased ageing potential. After an almost fruity and immediate vintage like 2007, we are returning to a more classic Nebbiolo with a grand character, distinguished by fantastic tannins that allow us to predict extraordinary development over time. It is comparable to the 2004 vintage, although the 2008 production level was lower. Our Barolo Serralunga 2008 comprises three vineyards located in the municipality of Serralunga d’Alba: Manocino, which guarantees coolness thanks to its north-west exposure while the … Continua →

Late-August Harvest Update

We were better off at the beach…the sweltering heat this week is showing no mercy and my habitual walks through the vineyards are getting more and more difficult. My walking companions this time were Matthew Cooper, buyer for Ellis of Richmond, the historic London wine importing company, and his wife, Kathrin. Let’s recap the season: very hot in late May and rainy throughout June, which inevitably sped up the maturation of the grapes, followed by cooler temperatures in mid-July and early August which then slowed maturation. Now the scorching heat that has reigned for the past week is once again … Continua →

Barolo Vertical Tasting – Live, Taste, Love (Part One – Live)

For Julia Roberts in her recent film they were “Eat, Pray, Love”. Three words are sometimes enough to describe a philosophy of life, as in this case, or as in ours, an event and its contents. After the Barolo vertical tasting from 2001 to 1958, organized in our wine cellar and part of “Afternoons of Nebbiolo First”, the words “Live, Taste, Love” came to my mind. Live like the comments of the journalists and buyers hosted by Albeisa who participated in the vertical tasting, an experience not to be missed, a bit for curiosity, a bit for learning, since the … Continua →

Grandpa Sergio remembers – part one

The years are 1947 to 1953. There was no television: it didn’t arrive at our house until 1958, for the world football championships in Sweden. Didì, Pelè, Vavà, Dialma Santos, Nilton Santos … Final score: 5-3. My first hazy memories are of when I was three or four years old: accompanied by mom and dad I roamed around the barrels in the wine cellar in Alba and on the farm in Sinio, where I played with the children of the tenant farmers amongst the roosters, hens, geese, sheep, pigs and in the stall with the “fasson” calves. Our favourite game … Continua →

Sampling the Nebbiolo grapes

Today I am in the vineyard with Sergio Molino, our viticulture consultant and analyst, who will sample grapes in various places on the bunch and in different areas of the vineyard. After having analyzed them, we will estimate a possible date for harvesting. Choosing the right day is important and difficult, most of all because it is necessary to keep track of variations in temperature, which plays a fundamental role. In addition to the analytical method there is an empirical method. It is very simple but very useful, consisting in chewing the grapes at length, evaluating the consistency of the … Continua →

The second hailstorm

On June 29, while I was in London, I was informed that a violent storm hit Serralunga d’Alba in the late evening, but I didn’t think that along with heavy rain there would also be hail. I didn’t realize until today just what happened during that atmospheric event. Luckily, the hail affected only a limited area, that of the nebbioli situated on the upper part of the Lirano hill. The damage was lessened by the fact that the hail was relatively light and I don’t believe that it has compromised the quality of the grapes. This is the second hailstorm … Continua →

Europe likes sulfites

It was with disappointment that I read in the magazine Vigne Vini that the EU regulatory project for organic wine, that should have lowered the limits on sulfur in wine, is being drawn out. A majority of countries in Northern Europe, including France and Portugal, rejected the proposal put forth in Brussels to limit the presence of sulfites to 100 mg/l for red wine and 150 mg/l for white and rosè. The majority are instead in support of raising the limit as high as 120 mg/l for red and 170 for white and rosè, levels not much lower that those … Continua →

Waiting for the blossoming

I just got back from Pecking, and I am still under the effect of the tiring 8 days I spent in China, but as always when I come back from a a trip abroad, I like to take a tour of the vineyards, to see and check the situation. Finally the temperature is pleasant, the vines devoloped fast. The soil is still humid 15cm deep, and this does nothing but helping the growth of the vines. The inflorenscences are well visible, and in 2 weeks, the blossoming will start, a very delicate moment in the growth cycle of the vine. … Continua →

Are you sure you want to grow a new vineyard?

You thought of planting a new vineyard? Here’s the deal: Buy the land, which is not exactly cheap, at lest in the Langhe region. To make it simple, let’s say that that you own it already. One hectar is 10.000 square meters, which is 58 soccer fields. At full regime, you could produce about 7.000 bottles, but if you want to keep the quality high, 4500. The land could be not cultivated, with trees, or even already with a vineyard, usually in pretty bad conditions So here you are, you have to make the land ready: you cut whatever is … Continua →

The grapevine's cry

I came back from “Prowein” in Dusseldorf and the first thing I want to do is to go for a relaxing walk in vineyards. Spring really started and the grapevines seem to be finally awake after the long winter sleep. You can see it easily from the liquid that comes out of the sprouts after pruning. Indeed, during this period the plant generates a strong osmotic pressure that produces a transparent liquid. We says that grapevines “cry”, and this phenomenon connected with the new awakening of nature, that usually starts one month before the buds start to germinate. I believe … Continua →

Enrico Rivetto: @cetelina Grazie prof.per essere venuta :) !! 15 05 2012

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