Santa Margherita

Mother Nature may govern the climate but man can intervene to some extent with regard to cultivation systems and techniques. Vineyard layout, selection of training systems, the choice of rootstocks and varieties and agricultural techniques (such as fertilizing, leaving grass to grow between the vines, ploughing the soil and green pruning) are just some of the practices employed by growers in order to condition or follow the dictates of their terroir.
The operations in the viticulturalphase can be subdivided into two groups:
- planting and training operations
- grape production operations.

Planting and training operations
These have to do with planting or replanting the vineyard and its management during the first few years of its existence. Among them we can include:
- the choice of varieties and clones: which vine/clone adapts best to this particular terroir? Which vine/clone is allowed for the “geographical indication” that includes the area in which I find myself? Which grape variety will be most in demand over the next few years?
- the choice of rootstock: which rootstock is best suited to the soil and to the variety I have chosen? How will it behave in terms of quantity and quality, i.e. as regards the vigor of the vegetation and the yield of grapes?
- earth-moving and preparation of the soil: how should I make the terrain ready for efficient planting?
- the training system and plant density: which training system is best suited to the various characteristics of the grape variety, terroir and meso- and microclimate?

Grape production operations
These consist of the cultivation techniques used in the ordinary, everyday management of the vineyard, with the aim of achieving a satisfactory balance between vegetation and grape production. The main ones are:
- winter pruning: this determines the quantity of potential buds (and therefore also of fruit);
- fertilization: normally used to increase grape yields;
- soil management and mowing: this regards the choice of whether and how one allows grass to grow along and between the vine rows;
- irrigation: to be carried out only in case of need (drought), and in a controlled manner;
- phytosanitary protection: all the treatments required to prevent the development of vine diseases;
- “green” operations, such as eliminating excess leaves and trimming the tops of shoots in order to increase access to sunlight and aeration of the fruit, and thinning of the bunches so as to allow those remaining to achieve greater ripeness;
- the harvest: picking of the grapes when these have attained certain physical and chemical characteristics

The search for the ideal vine and terroir
Each type of vine has precise characteristics and geographical, climatic and geological requirements. Vine-growers have always understood the exact rapport between a given variety and its ideal habitat. This, in brief, is the idea of “zoning” which has been so talked about in recent years.  
In just the same way, “terroir” is a term that is on everybody’s lips, to the extent that its real meaning is often ignored. In fact, its meaning is given a whole series of different interpretations even by those who believe wholeheartedly in its importance.