An American in Piedmont, Chapter 2 - Springtime in Langhe
Rebirth, renewal, and the mosaic of green that assaults the eyes - hallmarks of Spring. Springtime in Langhe, Italy follows these perpetual rhythms. The landscape is dominated by the vineyards of nebbiolo, barolo, dolcetto, barbera, moscato and several other regional grapes. Here, in addition to the rebirth, renewal, and the mosaic of green, we find that locals like the Isyk-Coles family are focused on repair, preparation and anticipation of budbreak on the vines.?
Visitors know that Langhe is the indisputable center of wine, (white) truffles and the slow food movement in Piedmont. As a result, springtime means the influx of foreigners making the pilgrimage to the rolling hills of the region. Each year, the Isyk-Coles family notices more and more tourists, this is good and bad. The locals love sharing their wine, food and culture, but also want to preserve the delicate balance they share with the land around them.
In spring the work in the vineyard begins in earnest. The vines are reanimating and so are Traci and Graham. Today they are well-versed in the work that comes with the season: the vines are fertilized, trellis wires are pulled or repaired, winter cuttings are mulched into the soil, and the tractors and equipment are checked for any failures and, time-permitting, cleaned. This work is not the backbreaking work of summer, but it takes skill, patience, and a good checklist.?
During their first spring in Langhe, in 2009, Traci and Graham had little idea about the work involved to care for a vineyard during this critical time. Instead, they would take their dogs for a walk amongst the vines and remark at the vines growing across the ground. Looking back at this time, the pair laughs at how naive they must have looked as vineyard owners. Not to mention what their neighbors must have thought about the foreigners in their village!?
They quickly learned that the true work involved in caring for a vineyard happens in spring. In 2009, they were ‘only’ caring for one hectare of moscato. They were fortunate to have a neighbor who cared for their dolcetto. The moscato vines were in their third year which meant an expected yield of 70%. Each vine had to be tied to a “tuttia”, a stick that is used to ensure that the vine grows straight. Once the tuttia was in place, the vines on the ground had to be pulled up, the branches woven through the wires of a trellis where they were secured to the top wire, or “gira”. The vineyards trained Traci and Graham about the rhythm and work of their new home.
When the vines start producing their bottom off-shoots, Traci and Graham remove them so the plant can focus on grape production in the coming months. Also vital to ensuring a good harvest is cleaning the heads of the vines, “pulire il culo”, so that all but the best two or three branches remain. If the head of the vine is not cleaned properly, the vine cannot focus on grape production. This has implications for the current year’s harvest as well as the following year.?
Timing is critical, vine growth is very fast and management is key to ensuring a good yield. Once the vines reach the top trellis wire, the vines then need to be ‘gira, gira’ed on the top wire. This means turning the vine around the wire to ensure that it focuses on the production of grapes and not growing skyward. Typically vines are cut at the top, but in the Isyk-Coles vineyards, the wind is strong and will pull the vines from the wires, derailing the vine management work. This makes the ‘gira, gira’ task a critical one. When the vine isn’t well-managed and pushes out new growth, it is called ‘bastardi’ (little bastards). If the growers wait too long to manage the vine growth, the vines grow at warp speed, risking fruit production and in some cases the small grape bunches will literally fall off. This management and balance of timing has been learned by Traci and Graham over the last decade in the vines.??
The signature vineyard event during the spring season is the flowering of the grapes. For about one week, the grapes open up and produce tiny, white flowers. Like most events in the vineyard, the beauty comes with the concern: will the wind be too strong, will the weather be cold, or will there be heavy rainfall? All of these are detrimental to the flowers and limit their ability to turn into grapes. Too much wind, cold weather, or rain, and the flowers can fall off and there are no grapes.
Traci and Graham experienced this firsthand during a spring where the grapes did not develop. The vines were about six years old, very young and vigorous. Many factors were at play that caused the grape flowers to fall off, the most likely cause was vigorous vine growth due to perhaps too much fertilizer. They lost about 30% of their production, and like everything with nature, learned. To help mitigate the growth of the vines the following year, instead of leaving about eight or nine buds on the vines, Traci left between 10 and 12 buds. When there are too few buds on the vine, each bud has access to an excess of energy from the plant and the vine grows too vigorously, too many and the grapes struggle. Finding the balance and the right number of buds takes practice and finesse - both of which Traci and Graham have in spades!?
Springtime in Langhe means more than vines. Traci prepares thriving vegetable and dahlia gardens as well. No stranger to tilling the soil and fertilizing with manure, Traci plants peas and fava beans in the spring. Strawberries and asparagus are established and return on their own each year. Traci believes that her asparagus, picked fresh, is the best dish in Langhe during the season. It can be steamed, made into a soup, or wrapped in savory crepes. She loves pairing her asparagus with a crisp glass of Nascetta (a grape native to Novello in Langhe, a crisp, semi-aromatic white grape) - total springtime.
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Coming soon: An American in Piedmont, Chapter 3: Summer in the Hills. Summer is a season of hope, hardwork and a constant dance with mother nature. The Isyk-Coles family will share the triumphs, accomplishments and heartbreak that are part of summer in Langhe.?
Through conversation and images, and video, the work and life of the Isyk-Coles family will be shared throughout 2023.