The commitment of winegrowers and winery
Starting from 2013, the ‘ArnaldoRivera’ wines are the fruit and result of the official protocol agreed between the Winery and several of its grower-owner members, that requests:
- The identification of parcels of vines (not larger than 5000 m²/1,23 ac on average) located in the most prestigious MGAs/Denominations, ones possessing clear pedological and climatic characteristics to enable the production of exceptional fruit.
- The constant observation and monitoring of the conditions of each vineyard to be carried out by the Winery’s own team of agronomists, biologists and geologists during the year.
- The acceptance that in certain years, unpredictable weather or vineyard conditions may mean that the quality of fruit harvested is judged to be unacceptable for the ‘ArnaldoRivera’ label.
- The investment in ultimate winemaking equipment in order to maximize the quality of fruit obtained in the vineyard.
In the vineyard
- Constant observation of the vine’s behaviour on different soils in order to determine the most appropriate methods of working the vineyard and the most suitable period, and if there might be necessary nutritional support, and in what doses, avoiding categorically any mineral fertilisers.
- Determining the ideal pruning method, based on the age of the vine and its vegetative health (vigour).
- Managing the grass cover only by using machines, avoiding categorically the use of chemical herbicides.
- Planning the work of canopy management (shoot plucking, female leaf removal and deleafing) based on the weather and the development of the vine and plant.
- Precise management of the canopy, either by binding the tops of the vine shoots together or by gentle, low impact vine trimming.
- Bunch selection (green harvesting) based on the condition of each vineyard, not in a rigid formulaic way, but depending on the characteristics and crop development of each vintage.
- Particular attention must be paid to protecting the vine from the threat of flavescence dorée, requiring the grower to act quickly in grubbing up infected plants.
- Careful attention and planning must be given to identifying the ideal harvest date of each and every plot to ensure phenolic maturation, bearing in mind the great diversity between varying vineyard terroirs.
In the winery
- On arriving at the winery the grapes harvested must be given priority and destalked quickly.
- Vinification and ageing: the Winery has made in recent years significant investments in the latest equipment so as to be able to maximise the quality potential, in particular micro-fermenters, 10, 15, 25, 30 and 50 HL French oak casks and 500 and 700 litre French oak tonneaux
- Alcoholic fermentations should be carried out using wild yeast strains that are native to the Barolo region.
- Malolactic fermentations of the Barolo should take place spontaneously in wood, followed by a long ageing in traditional casks and tonneaux, depending on the exigences of each wine.
- Minimal intervention in the winery is key to conserving the maximum expression of both the fruit and its provenance.