Hiking in our vineyards

From this year, on request, with small groups of guests, in the surroundings of Volastra we will organize guided visits at our vineyards’ cultivation, to understand the unbelievable and hard work done by generations in the fields of the Cinque Terre. These excursions will end visiting our home-winery where we produce the DOC wine and the 5 Terre Sciacchetrà, still using wooden barrels and a centenary press.
During the visit you will be introduced to the various and endless steps of cultivation.
It begins with the pruning of the vine shoots and its tying on wire pergolas. This process is still done by using the broom, a natural plant that guarantees 100% biodegradability.The second phase consists in plowing the soil and manuring, which is still done manually using a strange kind of fork with a short wooden handle and long iron teeth, which in dialect is called “grappling hook”. In Cinque Terre, due to the low height from the ground to the pergola, only this tool can be used and no mechanical means at all. The third phase coincides with the sprouting of the vineyard and consists of giving chemical treatments to prevent the onset of mold and fungi on the plant that would compromise irremediably the harvest. These treatments must be made about 8 to 9 times starting from the beginning of April and ending in August and it may vary depending on the climate and the season.
Between one treatment and the other, the ligation of new shoots should be made on the pergola, ensuring the optimal positioning of the bunch, which will then allow a more convenient harvest. Last but not least is the harvest, where finally we obtain the result of years of hard work. During the winter we plant new species of vines to replace the old ones whose yield is very low. The new vines will start producing only from the third year.
Who of you will be interested in this visit, at breakfast time we will discuss about it, so that we can organize mini-groups.
We wait for you!