Is it possible that the rows of vines can turn into trenches, as if they were a real battlefield? This is what is happening to the vineyards of Piedmont, plagued by two months of uninterrupted rain. The enemy is called downy mildew: a vine disease that develops with excessive moisture. The blight appeared in Europe in 1878, when a parasitic microorganism, Plasmopara viticola, was accidentally imported from America into France. Since then, whenever rainfall is prolonged, red alarms go off in vineyards. And that is exactly the case in this strange spring-summer 2024. Result: continuous treatments to curb the infection.
How to protect the clusters while avoiding chemicals? The Marchisio Family strictly adheres to the most advanced organic specification: «We massively use only natural products: essential oils of orange, rosemary and other varieties. Ours is an ultra-ecological blend, which allows us to reduce the use of copper and sulfur to almost zero». Still, this translates into super-labor, not without risk. «Since the soil is made muddy and yielding, farm vehicles trudge along. It can even happen that a tractor breaks down. Not to mention the fatigue: treating 25 hectares permanently requires a really big effort».
The results, however, are not lacking: «We secured almost 90 percent of the grapes. That’s no small feat, given the prohibitive weather conditions. Sorry for the losses, of course. But we can console ourselves: thanks to the rain, the clusters not affected by downy mildew are bursting with health». Easy prediction: it promises to be an abundant and lucky harvest. Of course, one can speak of “irony of fate”: the two previous vintages had been complicated by a terrible drought. «These are the uncertainties of our job, but we’re used to it», smiles Sergio Marchisio: «We’ve always worked under the sky, you have to accept what comes».
A matter of philosophy: «We are organic and biodynamic. Our mission is clear: to obtain from the wines the best expression of our hills. And this is achieved first and foremost by striving, year after year, to restore the natural fertility of the soils». Goal achieved precisely thanks to the Steiner method: no systemic chemicals. “Green” processing preserves the soil and, consequently, the consumer’s health: clean, residue-free wine. And in the cellar, only indigenous yeasts. «Each season has its own unique and unrepeatable character: and in our wine it should always be felt».
A style, the Marchisio’s, that enhances the typicality of Roero’s native grape varieties. For example, the Arneis: made in steel and also in amphora. Not to mention the very delicate classic method bubbles, ten years on the lees. Or Nebbiolo, like the surprising and award-winning Valmaggiore: the first, in history, to be vinified in ceramic wineskins. A mark of quality: absolute excellence and strict fidelity to the terroir. «Our wine “speaks”: each vintage tells a different story. That’s the beauty of our work: the emotion of a glass».
This year, then, less alcoholic wines are expected: «The weather is helping us to get back to normal levels, with no more super-grading due to the great heat of the last few years». Good news, says Sergio Marchisio: «We had confirmation of this at Vinitaly: it is the wine lovers themselves, by now, who are asking for wines that are easier to drink». In other words: not all rain comes to harm. «True, the blight is making us sweat. But even this time, despite the bad weather, we will come out with our heads held high».
