Philosophy

Cortese, just like the respectful and focused interventions in the vineyards

360° Gavi

Soft farming practices

We are a certified organic winery: we believe that a wine is good when it is also good to the environment

At La Mesma we believe that healthy, ripe grapes are the foundation of good wine. However, this should not justify a disregard for the environment.

Soft farming practices – such as green manuring and soft pruning using the Simonit and Sirch method, constant presence in the vineyard, no weeding or chemical fertilizers, and the use of propolis as an antibotritic – show an attention that is not limited to the year’s harvest, but aims to protect the longevity of the vine and respects its biodiversity.

We also respect the environment in the winery, where a photovoltaic system allows us to take advantage of the clean energy produced by the sun.

Discover our wines

the Simonit&Sirch pruning

Small cuts

The Simonit&Sirch method consists in branching pruning, with small cuts on young wood, in a slow and targeted approach. Major backcuts are thus avoided and the vine’s lymphatic system is not compromised.

Sap flow

Plants with an intact lymphatic system develop evenly and are more consistent in product quality. Thanks to this pruning system, wood diseases, the main cause of early vine decay, are prevented.

Ramify with age

In order to age, the vine needs to branch and develop over time It can be pruned while respecting the lymphatic circuit, thus developing the morphology of the plant, separating the cutting areas from the path of the sap, for all forms of vine training.

Precision farming

The management of our vineyards varies depending on the soil, exposure and age of the vines. Research is ongoing

Discover our terroir

Through continuous research we limit our impact on soil and on the environment surrounding our vineyards.

Natural treatments, such as propolis (natural and vegan anti-mould) and orange blossom oil, support the traditional use of sulphur and copper, as permitted by the organic specification.

We use seaweed as leaf fertilizer, and we support the rootstocks with symbiotic agriculture interventions. For this we use mycorrhizae, fungi that colonize the roots and improve the microbiological life of the soil.

Climate change and heat waves put plant integrity at risk. During warmer periods we use kaolin, an inert white clay, which we spray on the plant to shield the vines from sunburn.

It is worth mentioning that we are dry farmers, meaning we do not irrigate our vines.

Discover our terroir

The environment around us

The fauna

The importance of a Cortese coexistence.

Discover our terroir

The Gavi hills, due to their peculiar conformation, characterized by the massive presence of forests, are the ideal habitat for wild animals such as roe deer and wild boar.

For this reason, we have long been studying gentle interventions to coexist with these animals, ensuring both their need to survive and ours to harvest healthy grapes.

Hanging skeins of sheep wool keep roe deer away from the vineyard: roe deer detest sheep and the smell of wool.

On the other hand they do love alfalfa. In 2021 we noticed that one of our vineyards, adjacent to an alfalfa field, was strangely spared by roe deer. We sowed a large field in alfalfa, taking the risk of attracting all the roe deer in the area. It works: the neighbouring vineyards actually turn out to be less damaged.

We all know how important bees are to the ecosystem, but perhaps not everyone knows that they also play an important role in viticulture, carrying, for example, yeast and positive bacteria that seem to have a sanitizing function on the berry. At the entrance to the winery, a large field planted with wildflowers is dedicated to them.

Discover our terroir