CITTA DEL VINO: “THE ANTIQUE VINES OF SASSICAIA MUST BE PRESERVED”. THE COMPANY HAS BEGUN TO RENOVATE VINEYARDS BUT PROFESSOR SCIENZA (UNIVERSITY OF MILAN) HAS OFFERED TO PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL GRAPE VINES OF BOLGHERI

The original Sassicaia vineyards in Bolgheri, which produce grapes for one of the most famous wines in the world, risks extinction due to renovation plans for the area’s vineyards. The estate in Castagneto Carducci, owned by Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, has begun a “rejuvenation” project for the vineyards that are the origin of Sassicaia, substituting them with younger vines. For now, the modernization of the estate involves only a small part of the original 5 hectares.
A legitimate operation from a business point of view, but simultaneously the loss of a cultural symbol of the history of Italian wine. The call to preserve at least a part of the vineyard was made by the Città del Vino organization upon revelation of the issue by Professor Attilio Scienza from the University of Milan. Città del Vino has asked the municipality of Castagneto Carducci to “adopt” the vineyard in order to put it under its guardianship. And Professor Scienza, together with a group of young agronomists led by Marco Simonat, have offered to provide their technical expertise for dendro surgery, a practice that can save antique vines. The mayor of Castagneto Carducci, Fabio Tinti, has offered his help in finding the right steps to take together with Città del Vino and the owner of the vineyards.
Città del Vino president, Floriano Zambon, explained to WineNews that, “that vineyard is a reliquary, of historic importance and for this reason it must be saved. The sign that indicates the vineyards of Sassicaia is one of the most photographed road signs in the world. Its guardianship should be equivalent to that of a historic reliquary, an object of art, a piece of archeology. We hope that our proposal will be accepted and we invite other municipalities to adopt historic vineyards in their respective territories”.
The old vineyards could also be saved through dendro surgery, a practice applied during the pruning of the vines and which allows for the elimination of the dead parts of the plants in order to rejuvenate them. Professor Attilio Scienza of the arboreal cultivation department under the agrarian studies faculty, pointed out that, “it is normal that a producer decides to substitute an old vineyard to increase the quality of his wine.
Besides, dendro surgery is a costly process. Old vines are eliminated to lower management costs, but in this case the offer we have made to save Sassicaia comes from the desire not to lose a unique patrimony”.