Planting a vineyard to raise hope. A “bet on life”, in a difficult time

“Hello?”, a voice answers, surrounded by the silence. That it's not that of a deserted city street or square, but of the countryside, where, these days, it’s not normal there either. And yet the Langhe has experienced many minutes of silence, witnessed also by the words of some of the greatest Italian writers and poets, from Beppe Fenoglio to Cesare Pavese, before becoming a symbol of the Italy of wine, known throughout the world, and a World Heritage Site for UNESCO. “We are planting our vineyard - says, to WineNews, Milva Giacone, co-owner of the company, with her husband Renato Fenocchio - having to stay at home and with the luck of the time. You know, we have been farmers for several generations, we are for practical things”. Like planting a vineyard, in fact: “an act of hard work, of sweat, that in a land full of trust, raises hope. Planting a vineyard is a strong, profound, symbolic gesture, which has biblical roots: it tells the story of humanity that after the crisis, it thrives again and bears fruit”, explain Renato Fenocchio from the company, launching an invitation to all producers who, in these difficult times, but climatically perfect, can plant a new vineyard in their equally beautiful territories.
Wine is the fruit of so much patience. And the work of Renato Fenoglio - “young” sustainable winery in Langa, with 8 hectares of vineyards in the cru Nicolini di Barbaresco, Rombone in Treiso, Starderi, Città and Basarin in Neive, for a production of 40. 000 bottles, including Barbaresco, Langhe Doc, Barbera and Dolcetto (80% destined for export), without the use of chemicals and with mechanical work reduced to a minimum - remember how everything starts from the vine, which, with its roots sunk into the earth, the sun that warms it, the clouds that refresh it, the rain that quenches its thirst, the wind that gives it healthiness, and with the help of hard-working hands, moved by knowledge and traditions that are handed down, gives its fruit: that long-awaited wine that will rest in the cellar before being uncorked, waiting for the occasion, anywhere in the world. It takes patience, sooner or later that opportunity will come.
A plant already planned, “because this type of investment, from the purchase of land at the prices we have here to the preparation of the rooted cuttings according to the strict parameters we keep on the farm, takes a long time. What is exceptional is the period in which this work, which for a winemaker is normal to do in spring, has been done, but the current one, characterized by a health emergency above all and economic then, has never had equal, since the post-war period. Now we do not know what we will be able to do. In spring there are always many jobs to be done, and the costs are very high and cannot be postponed, because the plants are alive and cannot be abandoned while waiting for better times. However, we are rediscovering the pleasure of simple things and it gives us a lot of satisfaction to be together as a family, doing “beautiful things”, like the vineyard in question, Nebbiolo di Barbaresco, in the Basarin cru in Neive, where we have other vineyards. But this one will always be special”.