GRAPEVINES IN BLOOM
GRAPEVINES IN BLOOM
Floral like Spring in Sicily
Springtime arrives as a sweet awakening after a well earned rest. The grapevines come out of their winter hibernation and prepare to donate their fruits for the next harvest. The start of this year 2016 looks promising in many respects. The inflorescences, which after some time will give rise to clusters, seem to guarantee a very positive fertility. The grapevine is a cleistogamous plant and therefore fertilisation processes take place in unopened flowers. The first varieties that have bloomed, like Chardonnay, show a homogenous flowering of clusters. Even at the Calamoni Estate in the island of Favignana flowering has begun, while at Cavanera Etnea we are still in the pre-bloom stage.
THE ONSET OF THE 2016 SEASON
Spring Sun and Mediterranean Breeze
Every year is a new chapter in the long history of Sicilian viticulture. For us at Firriato the task is even more burdensome, as our estates encompass several vineyards across the island. What is the weather like on Etna? Is it raining in Trapani? Will it be windy in Favignana? These are questions that our agronomists ask themselves on a daily basis, because the climate is a very important factor for the development of the vines and the quality of the grapes they will yield. This year, temperatures have been averagely milder, thus slowing the vegetative activity of plants. This climatic element will enable optimal vegetative balance of vines and better fruit set for clusters.
THE IDEAL CLIMATE
The preconditions for a good vintage
Constant monitoring of the vineyard is an absolute imperative for Firriato. The agronomist, assisted by our teams of farmers, checks the grapevines’ health on a constant basis. So far, we can be well satisfied from a phytosanitary point of view. We are under an organic farming system and it is our obligation to prevent any agronomic problems. This year, however, the climate has been favourable because rains have always been followed by windy days. The alternation of warmer winds such as sirocco and colder winds like maestrale has allowed for the perfect health of the vines. We can only hope for the weather to continue with the same pleasant variations en route to the summer.
