On the hills of Monferrato
VIV Winery was born in 2020, our winemaking project that has deep roots on the hills of Monferrato. VIV, in Piedmontese dialect “alive”, originates from a small countryside context, from a winery passed down by generations, from the vineyard around the house, from a way of thinking that follows a different path than the one of traditional agriculture.
"WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT ANYTHING THAT NATURE CAN DO, WE DONT' NEED TO DO OR INTERFERE WITH"
Nature can do anything that's needed.
"Life creates circumstances for life"
"Gaia. A New Look at Life on Earth" by James Lovelock
AGRICULTURE
The agricultural intervention is minimal. Wild orchids and Gladiolus bloom in our vineyards, roe deers hide their cubs, birds build their nests among vine branches, wild hares run away from foxes, wild boars roam aerating the soil with their nose looking for roots and earthworms to eat. This is what is visible to our eyes. What we can't see is the infinite microcosm of life that animates the ground, from roots to herbs (each with their own characteristics), to insects, mushrooms, and thousands of microorganisms, algae and bacteria.
"OUR WORK IS STRUCTURED AROUND RESPECTING BIODIVERSITY"
All works that are strictly necessary to the vine's productive cycle, from pruning to harvesting, are done manually. Any mechanical works are just done when needed. The ground is grassy and the roots of wild herbs work to avoid erosion and increasing humic mass. We don't use any fertilisers. Pathogen defence is done only using sulfur and copper, often adding a decoction of wild herbs that grow spontaneously on our farm.
"HARMONY IN THE VINEYARD AN OPTIMAL SITUATION WHERE NATURE CAN EXPRESS ITSELF FULLY AND WHERE HUMAN INTERVENTION IS ONLY REQUIRED TO REGULATE EVERYTHING UNTIL HARVEST."
This situation happens suddenly, when we realise that production is automatically connected to the characteristics of the year, determining each time the best possible expression of the grapes.
Inspirations
We take inspiration from the philosophy of Masanobu Fukuoka ("The One-Straw Revolution"), the agricultural technique of the Manenti farm ("Alle radici dell'agricoltura"), the studies of Claude e Lydia Bourguignon ("Le sol, la terre et les champs"), the discovery of the industrial productive system mechanisms by Michael Pollan ("The omnivore's dilemma"), the biodynamic agriculture classes by AgriBio Piemonte, the definition of "Agricultural Organism" of the biodynamic agriculture, the experience shared with us by a dear farmer friend, Remo Hohler.
