Harvest & Vinification
Integrity of grapes & identity...
From the vineyard to the winery, each activity is focused on maintaining the integrity of the fruit and its organoleptic heritage which requires special attention in the use of biological treatments, when necessary, in combination with plant protection products, strictly low environmental impact, carried out, together with the mechanical processing of the sub-line without the use of herbicides.
After having checked the vegetative cycle of the vintage and once the green pruning has been carried out to eliminate the production surplus by virtue of a qualitative selection, the harvest is carried out exclusively by hand. Difficult, but compelling to plan, the harvest; an operation whose fate depends on the previous monitoring of all the processing phases and of the ripening process of the grapes.
In fact, great care is dedicated to the performance of phenolic compounds through the control of their evolution in terms of quantity and extraction capacity. Only a careful selection of the bunches allows the potential to be fully preserved in the subsequent vinification process.
The harvesting period for Serramarrocco grapes is concentrated between the last days of August and the second half of September.
The harvest is done manually with scissors and boxes or folders.
The vinification process begins with the destemming of the grapes, carried out in a soft way in order to preserve the organoleptic characteristics during fermentation, and prevent lacerations of the stalks and grape seeds which would give qualitative characteristics not suitable for maintaining the integrity of the skins and polyphenols .
The grapes of each vineyard are vinified separately in steel tanks with long maceration, at a controlled temperature of 26-28 ° c, where the prolonged contact of the marc with the must allows maximum extraction of the content of the skins, tannic substances and the pigments of the anthocyanins, which will allow the wine a long aging and stability over time. With the increase of the temperature the alcoholic fermentation begins, during which the frequent replacements guarantee an ideal extraction of tannins and color.
The délestages carried out during the long maceration introduce into the must the necessary quantity of oxygen that enhances the extraction of tannins and of the anthocyanic heritage, expressing a complexity of persistent and elegant aromas. The wines produced with the red berried grapes harvested in the Vigna del Capitano and in the vineyards of Sammarcello, Sammichele and Sakkara are raised in oak barrels Tronçais of Allier first and second passage of the capacity of 300 liters, for a period ranging from 6 to 18 months according to type and vintage.
This refinement process initiates the “micro-oxygenation” that allows the wine to naturally assume the right amount of oxygen through the acetaldehyde, which activates the combination of anthocyanins with tannins whose polymerization, by binding with the anthocyanins, stabilizes the color and the balance of wine, ensuring the preservation of the original organoleptic heritage of the grapes and its longevity.
The wines are not necessarily filtered and, if necessary, this process is carried out with extreme moderation in order to preserve the structural complexity of each type.
The alcoholic fermentation follows the malolactic fermentation which is favored by keeping the wine at a temperature of around 20 ° C in thermally-conditioned steel tanks.
Vigna di Serramarrocco
High density & low yield
