Everything is ready, it's grape-harvest time!

We are just in grape harvest time, a period that, this year, will be long if the weather holds.

In fact this year in Tuscany  Sangiovese grapes are not yet  arrived all at full maturity.

Not so for the Chianti Vepri.
So they will probably harvest by the end of this week: everything is ready.

Last Saturday I was right there with my sister,  to visit Siro Cicogni, owner of the Vepri Vineyards.


We walked with him along the vines, all grown organically, and we tried to imagine the evolution in the coming years.
Now, in fact, only a small part of the vines is in production, only the old vineyard already there when Siro bought the land and that he cured carefully because it was almost abandoned.

However, now there are other vines growing, recently planted where at the time of purchase of the farm the soil was not cultivated and overgrown. A hard work of cleaning has be dune.
At the north-western margin of the vineyard are well visible all the stones removed during preparation for vines implants.

The farm is not very wide but it is in a stunning place, being in the sun from dawn to dusk.

Weeding is done by hand, of course, because the cultivation is organic and therefore no herbicide are used.
Here and there, according to an ancient local tradition, it's possible to see among the Sangiovese vines also some other kind of vines, admitted by the specification of Chianti Classico.

These vineyards are a dream come true.
Something from long time desired by Siro, who is descendent from a family of millers 5 generations. But about the Mills Cicogni we will speak later.
A dream and a passion!

Here are some photos taken during the visit: