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VINEYARDS |
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The Poggio Trevvalle Estate covers 17 hectares, of which 14 are vineyards. Over 85% of the vines are Sangiovese. The remaining vines are Alicante, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The number of plants per hectare varies from 3.300 plants (older vines) to 4.500 or over 6.000 plants (vines planted since year 2000). Most of our vines are trained to form a “cordon de Royat”. We start the winter pruning according to the lunar cycle, pruning the vines whose vigour has to be contained when the moon is waxing .We usually leave four spurs per vine in order to have six buds per plant - two on the first and last spur and one on the two middle ones. In spring, in order to soften tannins in the Sangiovese grapes, we leave the side buds on the shoots but at the same time we rip the first two or three leaves from the base of the shoot after the setting, so as to expose the bunches of grapes to sunlight right from the moment they start to form.
We use only copper and sulphur as protection against mildew and oidium, and no pesticides at all. At the veraison we cut down all the bunches of grapes that have not started to ripen and the shoulders of the Sangiovese bunches. We never produce more than 8.000 kg per hectare.
In this corner of Maremma the nature of the soil changes several times within the space of a few hundred square meters. This makes a proper tilling of the land crucial to a good harvest, and implies different techniques for different vineyards. After harvesting we work the soil deeply between every other row of vines and keep the others weeded. Generally, we try to use tractors as little as possible in order to avoid compacting the land too much, so as to retain its elasticity, permeability and capacity to breathe. |
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