Harvesting is an old tradition deeply rooted in our region and in our culture. At Carpineto, we fully respect the atavistic art of taking care of our vineyard, whilst also constantly searching for innovative ways and techniques in order to deliver top quality products to our customers.
For centuries, our ancestors taught us about the moon phases, as they influence our land more than we can imagine. Astronomy is a key part of harvesting and many other components of agriculture in general. Between superstition and science, the lunar phases have always guided men, accompanying the cultivation of the vine. But how exactly does the moon play a role in this process?
Numerous scientific studies have in fact demonstrated that moonlight penetrates much deeper into the soil than sunlight is able to do, positively influencing the germination process of seeds. This causes many effects on our work.
It is for example common knowledge that bottling during the full moon can be a good time to bottle any type of wine. The gravitational pull of the moon will draw sap and moisture up in the fruit, enhancing its taste. The New Moon phase, instead, is widely considered to be the worst moment for harvesting grapes, as the sap is not fully concentrated in the fruit while the moon is not visible, but a good moment for planting. There are several changes that come into place whenever the moon is waxing or waning as well.
The waxing moon phase allows you to obtain excellent sparkling wines, while the waning moon is perfect for those with long aging. In general, it is assumed that the waxing moon favors the vegetal development of the plants, since the saps tend to go back to the surface; This is the time of harvest and growth. On the contrary, with the waning moon, the juices withdraw towards the roots and the earth is fertile: this is the time of sowing and taking care of the roots.
For pruning, it is recommended to prune in the waning moon, since it is believed that the waning lunar phase slows down the flow of sap. It is believed that during this phase the plants suffer less from cuts.
Our ancestors had an incredible love for nature and everything that surrounds it, respecting it and managing to get the best out of it too. Every year the bottling of the wine represented an event, a precious ritual, which was given a unique symbolic value of its kind. Tradition is an intrinsic value of the wine world, representing a way of recalling the ancient values ââof our grandparents. Here at Carpineto we still like to respect these values, placing them in a context of modernity and progress.