Before spring explodes, painting the hills green, the Marchisio Family’s organic vineyards in Castellinaldo, Roero, are the first to know that the best is about to arrive. To remind him of this is the Preparation 500, the special fertilizer dissolved in the dynamized water and spread by sprinkling between the rows. After the pruning, conducted in the winter, it’s time to move on to tying the branches. In the meantime, new cuttings are grafted to compensate for any failures. «There is no shortage of work, given that the season is definitely ahead of the year». And many other operations are underway, in this period, based on the ecological philosophy of biodynamic viticulture: «In these days of March – Ivo and Fabio Marchisio say – we are giving support to the soil, to help it to recover its natural fertility». It’s time for the green manure: «They are special crops, complementary to the vine: nitrogen essences, which we sow in the inter-rows to restore wealth to the land which the vines will then feed on in the summer».

Grasses, peas, mustard: these are only a few examples of plant species, suitable for the practice of spring green manure. A blend of essences, intended to strengthen the viticultural ecosystem. Another special moment, in biodynamic viticulture: the fertilization that’s carried out at the end of winter. In addition to spraying with the fruit of the horn-manure, it’s essential to draw on the biodynamic cumulus, which the company has prepared over the years. «It’s our special reserve of minerals and precious substances», Ivo and Fabio explain: «The humus that we distribute in the rows is composed of horse and bovine manure, wild herbs left to ferment for two years, but also from the skins of the berries collected in the last harvest. In our cumulus there are also the mowings of the prunings of the previous year». In this way, nature “returns home”, closing the circle: and so, year after year, the perfect naturalness of Marchisio wines continues ti grow.