2008 GRAPE HARVEST - THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN VITICULTURE AND ENOLOGY IN FRANCIACORTA AT THE HISTORIC BERLUCCHI WINERY. GRAPE SAMPLES WITH GPS, ‘INTELLIGENT’ PRESSES, AND PROMPT ANALYSES ARE CHANGING THE WAY WINE IS MADE

Applied precision technology is taking off in the vineyard and what was once hypothetical is now a reality. For the first time, Berlucchi, one of the most appreciated wineries of Franciacorta and one of the leaders in Italian classic method sparkling wines, is using the latest and most up-to-date technological advances in viticulture and winemaking for its production. The grapes are being sampled with the use of Gps and then processed in special “intelligent” presses, while in the laboratory, the analyses of both the grapes (in order to discover the precise moment ideal for harvesting), as well as for the musts, are now taking place in ‘real time’.

With this harvest, Berlucchi is completing its development project for the productive sector that began ten years ago: “Milleeunavigna”, created in 2006 in collaboration with the Agrarian department at the University of Milan, is now completely operative.

The vineyards of Berlucchi - over 500 hectares, or rather, one fifth of all of the vineyards located within the Franciacorta denomination of origin - benefit from precision farming. All of the areas are mapped based on the typology of the terrain and photographed from the sky with an infrared apparatus. A tester on the ground then passes through the fields with a Gps palm pilot containing all of the maps updated in real time for the exact ripeness of the grapes, thus able to take more precise samples.

The sampling of the grapes bunches is indispensable for establishing the harvest time and the destination of the grapes for the various types of products. In this way, there is total reliability. The harvest takes place in micro-areas, respecting the vocation of the vineyard and the ideal times of maturation of the grapes, vineyard by vineyard”, explained Arturo Ziliani, enologist and Vice President of Berlucchi.

Once the grapes have been sorted by hand and are in the winery, they are pressed and vinified separately, obtaining wines with surprisingly different characteristics, even though they originate from the same vineyard. This is the so-called precision viticulture, and can get the most value out of each fruit in each vineyard. In the winery, the practice is also supported by two futuristic presses, the French Coquard, that are capable of processing seven hectares of grapes each day. A fast and efficient press avoids the insurgence of uncontrolled microbiological processes that occur among the grapes in the crates. The Coquard’s inclined plate favors the rapid descent of musts, thus clarifying the wine with this first natural filtration, while at the same time limiting the time in contact with the skins. For each movement of the press, the parameters of reference are analyzed (sugar level, total acidity, etc.), and the pressure exerted on the grapes can be modified based on these readings. The must, then arrives in four different tubs, divided on the basis of quality, and, after clarifying the refrigerated containers, moves on to the vinifying area.

With the 2008 harvest, Berlucchi is also inaugurating its new laboratory, which will permit the constant control of the entire production line and the maintenance of the parameters necessary for obtaining optimum quality and, thus, guaranteeing the necessary health of the product. The presence of this company structure guarantees the total synergy with the work of the agronomist and the enologist who can benefit from timely analytical data.

This technological refinement crowns a “small revolution” that was begun in the vineyards a decade ago: from 1999 to 2006, the vineyards of Berlucchi in Franciacorta were completely replaced with high density vineyards (10,000 plants per hectare), where each plant supplies just one kilo of grapes, or 100 quintals per hectare. This is a moderate yield that can guarantee excellent primary material.