Productive Process
Pruning
January, February and March are the months in which the vine gets a “makeover” and is pruned. This is one of the most important phases of vineyard care because it directly affects the quality and quantity of the grapes produced. Proper pruning helps keep the plant healthy and in fact the vine leaves act as a filter, giving proper ventilation and lighting, fundamental characteristics for the onset of pathologies. After winter pruning, the vine shoots are called “fruited heads”. The operation is defined dry and is therefore carried out during the vegetative rest of the plant. The number of buds left on the plant affects the quality and quantity of the grapes. If many buds are left, the fruits that will grow will be many but will have a low sugar content. The opposite will happen if few are left. On poor soils, therefore, it is advisable to cut more to ensure nourishment for all the clusters of the plant. There are various types of pruning: Guyot, inverted, spurred cordon, small tree, vine pergola.
The operation is defined dry and is therefore carried out during the vegetative rest of the plant. The number of buds left on the plant affects the quality and quantity of the grapes. If many buds are left, the fruits that will grow will be many but will have a low sugar content. The opposite will happen if few are left. On poor soils, therefore, it is advisable to cut more to ensure nourishment for all the clusters of the plant. There are various types of pruning: Guyot, inverted, spurred cordon, small tree, vine pergola.
Barbatella
The barbatella is a small vine seedling. Its name derives from the fact that the planted vine branch has emitted “beards”, the roots, after being buried in a “forcing” box containing soil and sand.The cuttings are planted in February. This process follows very precise rules, necessary to keep the plant alive. First of all, the roots must be aligned with the rootstock and must not open like an …
umbrella as they must reach deep in order not to suffer from drought. The vine cutting must be inserted into the ground almost along its entire length and only the upper part must emerge from which the crown of the vine will develop. A small well must be created around the plant to collect water. Why are rooted cuttings grafted? To facilitate and shorten production times. This practice is also useful to avoid the attack of a parasite, the phylloxera, which by attaching itself to the root system of the plant, causes very serious damage and decrees its death in 4-5 years
Networks
The vineyards represent a greedy place for birds that feed on the grapes. To protect the crop, nets are installed. In fact, the producer has the right to protect his own fruit but at the same time has the duty not to cause damage to the local fauna. Poorly placed nets with sharp edges can injure and trap animals.
We at Nava have a lot of respect for the ecosystem so we protect the grapes by trying to be harmless with the birds of our areas.
Binding of the Branches
In the months of May and June, the vines sprout new shoots. The best branches must be selected with a light pruning and then collected on the cables, so as to allow the sun to heat them better and allow the bunches of grapes to ripen.
The branches are tied horizontally to the iron wires that connect one pole to the other, so that they can have a more homogeneous distribution of the sap on all the growing shoots. The laces of vegetable origin such as willows, broom, raffia that were once widespread have been replaced by synthetic and metallic materials.
Leaves & Bunch Selections
The defoliation takes place in April/May and consists in the elimination of the basal leaves adjacent to the bunches. This process is also repeated just before the harvest. Early intervention serves to clean the clusters of floral residues from which diseases and infestations can develop. Peeling also serves to obtain less compact and smaller bunches, …
less vulnerable to disease. By grape thinning, on the other hand, we mean the timely intervention which involves the elimination of part of the load per plant (clusters) which are cut and left on the ground. It is a fundamental intervention that allows the plant to concentrate its resources on fewer bunches so as to improve ripening. The thinning operation must not be carried out randomly but taking into account the visual aspect of the bunches and their position on the plant.
Acinino
The work of the berry takes place in the month of July. It consists in the elimination of the smallest berries from the bunches, in order to allow a better maturation of those already developed and to guarantee balance of dimensions to the final product of table grapes. It is usual to distinguish between two different types of millerandage: green millerandage and sweet millerandage. There is a green millerandage when the berries, usually without seeds, remain green until the harvest and a sweet millerandage when they ripen regularly and can become even sweeter than normal.
Raccolta
The grape harvesting process at Nava is done with care and precision. The grapes are harvested manually by our expert farmers, who carefully select only the best and fully ripe bunches. This attention to quality allows us to guarantee a fresh and delicious product, ready to be brought from our vineyards to our customers’ tables.