“GRETA’S LESSONS AND OUR VINEYARDS

VCOMPANY HARVEST NUMBER 55 – MAURO SIRRI’S HARVEST NUMBER 36

Dear Friends,

I believe that climate change is evident also to people who do not live in close contact with nature. Average temperatures are rising, prolonged droughts are interrupted by heavy rains that put to the test water control systems and increase the risk of soil erosion and landslides. In addition, in these conditions it is difficult to face grapevine fungal diseases.
Apart from being a winemaker, I have also been a skier for 50 years. Every year in January I go skiing in the Dolomites. I remember January to be a very cold month, with temperatures far below zero. In the last 10-15 years, I noticed a trend reversal and temperatures are often above zero.
Going back to viticulture, last year in February we planted a new vineyard. As tradition has it, February is the right month because it is followed by rainy March and April. But last year happened that at the end of April we were forced to irrigate for the lack of rain, with very high costs. And then…in May, 20 days of uninterrupted rain caused the soil to wash away and many other problems, also considering that we could not enter the vineyards with tractors and could not implement any plant-health treatments. These conditions allowed downy mildew attacks and caused floral abortion in particular for the Albana variety.
Summer was warm, but luckily enough it did not show the hot temperatures of 2017. Some rainfalls helped vines to overcome the water stress of the end of July. Anyway, also in 2019 grape harvest started earlier than usual.
Every year the bar is raised. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, but we cannot destroy our planet, we cannot allow it. Therefore, we must make a common effort to slow down global warming.
At Celli winery, we have been implementing sustainable vine growing methods for many years and for the last 3 years we have been committed to organic farming: this means that, from 2020 harvest on, our grapes will be officially ORGANIC.
Thanks to the effortless commitment of our team, devoted hearth and soul to the company philosophy, we were able to obtain high-quality grapes also this year. Crisp, fragrant berries expressed the character of each grape variety and Bertinoro’s terroir personality.
Anyway, this top-quality achievement costed a lot in terms of labour costs and yields.

AS WE SAY IN ITALY, “I BEND BUT I DO NOT BREAK” AND
AT CELLI WE WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE YOU THE BEST

Mauro Sirri