A healthy and robust vine: the importance of topping

There is something worth repeating often: good wine is born from the vine. Ancient popular wisdom introduces the need for carefully processing in the vineyard starting from the months when the bunches are not even present on the plant and even the topping. Caring for the vine is central in every period of the year, not only when the grapes start appearing on the vine shoots. Here in Carpineto we know this full well: each step is carefully and scrupulously followed so that the vine always has a harmonious vegetative balance, that leads to producing healthy, strong grapes capable of providing great wines, worthy of the Tuscan tradition in the world.

Summer is approaching in leaps and bounds. And with it the need to maintain vigour and strength for the vine. On the other hand, we are approaching the period of fruit setting and veraison, when the bunch will finally grow on the vine shoot after months and months of hard work. It is for this reason that, in June, we carry out the topping of the vines. This process basically consists of cutting the tops of the shoots. In this way the plant will be stimulated to produce new vegetation and to better “rationalise” its efforts on the vine shoots. Basically: the vine will be able to work more evenly, avoiding a disorderly growth of the vine shoots themselves.

Indeed, if the latter should happen, it would create at least two problems: excessive shading of the bunch, which would slow down its ripening; the risk of accumulating moisture, the ideal environment for the formation of harmful parasites for the plant. Topping is, therefore, an essential process for correctly maintaining the vine and for its health during the course of time.

Topping helps the plant to grow healthily. And along with it, the bunch that we will pick during the harvesting period. Here, in Carpineto we dedicate particular attention to this stage for each individual row, from the largest productions to our great Cru. Wines like the Carpineto Brunello di Montalcino or Carpineto Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, up to the line of our Appodiati, are born from a careful selection of the grapes. In turn preceded by work like pruning and topping, that guarantee the presence of healthy, robust and strong grapes on the plant.

Topping is basically another of the stages that demonstrates how, in Carpineto, nothing, not even the smallest detail, is left to chance. The care for detail is fundamental. Each individual action carried out on the vine will have a consequence on the fruit to be used in the wine cellar. This is why we also carefully choose the period of each of the individual processes according to the year and to the climate trend. The vine is living matter that evolves in time. With our work we guarantee its full exploitation, step after step. In respect of what Mother Nature has given us.