Vine pruning represents one of the most delicate steps in preparing the plants and ensuring an excellent product at harvest. Typically, pruning begins once all the leaves have fallen and the temperatures are particularly low, in order to keep the plant dormant and prevent it from suffering (technically, it is said that when pruning is done late - around March - the plant "cries," meaning it loses sap where the cuts have been made). This period in Piedmont (i.e., December - February) is therefore perfect: during this time, the days are often sunny, with temperatures, as in the past few weeks, ranging from -8°C at night, or even lower, to +2°C during midday.
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| Picture No. 1 - The red triangle shows the part where the pruning has been made |
We have just begun the pruning of the lower part of the Vigna Costanza d'Altavilla, dedicated to Nebbiolo da Barbaresco D.O.C.G. - Cru Ca Grossa, in the 1,400 m² of vineyard that we directly manage, using methods that we will explain to you throughout this blog. From these 1,400 m², we produce approximately 900 bottles. Picture No. 1 (above) shows the area (red triangle) of the Ca Grossa Estate where we are currently working.
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| Picture No. 2 |
The vines appear as follows (Picture No. 2, above): the dry branches are those that have produced for the 2025 season and need to be pruned, but carefully. In fact, vine pruning represents not only an agricultural art but, in our view, also carries an esoteric message. Indeed, it represents time, meaning the past, the present, and the future. In the true sense of the word. The dry branches that will be pruned and then removed represent the past. The fruiting head (Picture No. 3) - in Italian called "capofrutto" - represents the present (as its buds – usually 8 – will produce the vertical shoots from which the grape clusters will eventually form); it is folded and tied to the lower wire (Picture 4) and all the vineyards will follow the same direction. Finally, the spur - in Italian called "sperone" - represents the future: a short-cut branch that will serve for the following season (in this case, the 2027 season). Thus, a vineyard carries the magic of time within it, and only careful pruning allows it to produce its precious fruits over time.
Pictures No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 show the same wineyard (3 rows, second on the left - Yes we will name all!) before and after pruning.
TRANSLATION IN PIEDMONTESE LANGUAGE
La ël poté dla vigna a rapresenta un dij travaj pì fin për preparé le plante e për garantì un vin ëd gran valor a la racòuta. An general, ël poté a s’ancamin-a quand tut-e le feuje a son cascà e le temprature a son bass-e, për lassé la planta a durmì e evitè che a sofra (quand ël poté a l’é fàit tard – antëur a març – a s’dis che la vigna a piasse, vor dì ch’a pèrd la linfa ant ij pont andoa a son stàite fàite le taj). Sto temp an Piemont, tra dësëmber e fevré, a l’é donca ideal: i dì a son sovens bel, con le neuit a –8 °C o ëdcò pì bas, e ‘l dì ch’a riva apena a +2 °C ant ël mesdì.
A l’oma da pòch encaminà i travàj an sla part bass-a dla Vigna Costanza a Altavilla, destinà al Nebiol da Barbaresco D.O.C.G. – Cru Ca Grossa. A l’é n’are-a ëd 1.400 m² ëd vigné che tenìmo directament, doprand metodi che spiegoma pass-a-pass an sto blog. Da sta superfìcie fem vèrs 900 bote.
La Foto n. 1 (qui sù) a mostra l’are-a (triangol ross) dla Tenuta Ca Grossa andoa stoma travàjand adess.
Ij vigné a comparisso com a l’é mostrà an sla Foto n. 2 (sù): ij ràss sec a son chej ch’a l’han dà për la stagiun 2025 e ch’a l’han da esse travajà con atension. ël travaj dla vite a l’é pa mach n’abilità agricola, ma, për nojautri, a l’ha ëdcò n’arzî sense quasi esoterich. A rapresenta ël temp ant ël sò sens pi bel: ël passat, ël present e ël futur.
Ij ràss sec ch’a van tajà e togùi a rapresento ël passat. ël cap fruitiv (Foto n. 3)—ch’a l’é ciamà capofrutto ant l’italian—rapresenta ël present, përchè ij sò bùs (normalment 8) a daràn vita ai ranch vertical da chej ch’a cresceran ij grappò ch’a formaràn ëd pò. A l’é piegà e lèga a la fìla bass-a (Foto n. 4) e tüt ij vigné a seguiràn la medema metoda.
A la fin-a, ël speron—sperone ant l’italian—rapresenta ël futur: n’arbust curt ch’a servirà për la stagiun d’apress (che a l’é, ant sto cas, 2027). Për col manera, n’are-a a porta con le soa magia ël temp, e mach ël travaj atent e delicà a-i përmet dë prodùj ij sò frut prezós anco a l’an ch’a ven.
| Piemontèis | Italiano | English |
|---|---|---|
| poté | potatura | pruning |
| vigna | vigneto | vineyard |
| travaj | lavoro | work |
| pì fin | più fine / accurato | more precise / careful |
| racòuta | raccolto | harvest |
| feuje | foglie | leaves |
| durmì | dormire | sleep / rest |
| sofra | soffra | suffer |
| pont | tralci / germogli | shoots / spurs |
| taj | tagli | cuts |
| are-a | area / superficie | area / surface |
| tenìmo | teniamo / gestiamo | we manage |
| doprand | usando | using |
| superfìcie | superficie | surface |
| bote | bottiglie | bottles |
| travàjand | lavorando | working |
| comparisso | appare / si vede | appears / is visible |
| ràss sec | rami secchi | dry branches |
| travaj dla vite | lavoro della vite | vineyard work |
| për nojautri | per noi | for us |
| arzî | aspetto / significato | meaning / significance |
| cap fruitiv | capo frutto | fruiting head |
| bùs | gemme / occhi | buds |
| ranch vertical | tralci verticali | vertical shoots |
| cresceran | cresceranno | will grow |
| lèga | lega | ties / ties up |
| fìla bass-a | filo basso | lower wire |
| medema metoda | stessa metodologia | same method |
| speron | sperone | spur |
| n’arbust curt | un arbusto corto | short branch |
| a la fin-a | alla fine / infine | in the end / finally |
| magia | magia | magic |
| travaj atent e delicà | lavoro attento e delicato | careful and delicate work |
| prezós | prezioso | precious |
| encamina | avvia / comincia | starts / initiates |
| temp | tempo / stagioni | time / season |
| mesdì | mezzogiorno | midday |
| neuit | notte | night |
| temprature | temperature | temperature |
| cascà | cadute | fallen |
| sovens | spesso / frequentemente | often / frequently |
| antëur | intorno / verso | around / toward |
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