June was a very hot month, with little rain and high temperatures. One of those months that reminds us how the vineyard is a living organism: able to adapt, but also in need of constant care.
In the countryside, no two weeks are ever the same. Each season brings its own balance: rain, heat, wind, humidity, vine growth, and the development of the bunches. Everything changes quickly, and every intervention must be considered according to what the vineyard is expressing at that moment.
This year, fortunately, the heat in June did not cause any particular damage. Our area is known as a land of waters: we are very close to the Po and Secchia rivers, in a territory that over the centuries has been shaped by water, by its movements and by its deposits.
This is where our alluvial soils come from: deep soils, capable of retaining moisture and helping the vines cope with the lack of rain. It is a precious characteristic, especially in drier vintages, because it allows the vines to better face moments of greater water stress.
This does not mean we can lower our guard. On the contrary, especially in hot years, it becomes essential to observe the vineyard every day and intervene with precision, without forcing things, while trying to maintain the right balance between vegetation, bunches and the microclimate within the canopy.
In recent weeks, we have focused a great deal on canopy management, one of the most important jobs of the summer.
We carried out leaf removal on the north-facing side, the side less exposed to direct sunlight. This allows us to encourage airflow around the bunches, reducing the risk of humidity stagnation, without exposing the grapes to sunburn caused by the strongest sun.
Leaf removal is not an automatic job: it must be done carefully, assessing exposure, weather conditions and the state of the vine. Removing too many leaves can be risky, especially in a hot vintage; leaving too many, on the other hand, can create a canopy that is too dense, where air circulates poorly and humidity remains trapped.
We then continued with green pruning, removing new shoots that grow excessively and take energy away from the plant. If left to develop too much, these shoots make the canopy denser and more vigorous, obstruct airflow and can create more humid conditions within the vegetation.
The goal is not to “strip” the vine, but to guide it. To help it distribute its energy better, maintain good aeration and create the right conditions for the bunches to ripen in a healthy and gradual way.
These are manual, repetitive and often tiring tasks, but they are essential. It is through this silent, less visible work that an important part of grape quality is built.
At the same time, we carried out protective treatments, also using horsetail extract and orange essential oil, to support the plant and help prevent the development of fungi and moulds.
Horsetail is a plant long known for its silica content and for its role in supporting the vine’s natural resistance. Orange essential oil, on the other hand, is used as an aid in vine protection, especially to help contain the development of fungal pathogens.
For us, these treatments are part of an approach that aims to prevent before curing: observing, intervening at the right time, keeping the vineyard well aerated and reducing as much as possible the conditions that encourage moulds and diseases.
For now, things are progressing well. The absence of hail and downy mildew allows us to look at the season with a little confidence, even though we know very well that in the countryside it is always too early to celebrate.
The vine still has some decisive weeks ahead. July and August will be fundamental in understanding how ripening will continue and what kind of balance we will be able to bring into the harvest.
Today, however, we can say that the vineyard is healthy, alive and in balance. And this makes us feel positive.
As always, we continue to observe it, day after day.