“Everything you can imagine, nature has already created.”
Albert Einstein
January 21, 2023
SIVIN by Vitenova:
Itinerant School of Naturalistic Viticulture
The acronym SIVIN stands for Scuola Itinerante di Viticoltura Naturalistica (Itinerant School of Naturalistic Viticulture) and is a project launched by Vitenova in 2022 in collaboration with Vinnatur.
SIVIN’s Approach to Participants
The acronym SIVIN stands for Scuola Itinerante di Viticoltura Naturalistica (Itinerant School of Naturalistic Viticulture) and is a project launched by Vitenova in 2022 in collaboration with Vinnatur.
The main goal of SIVIN is to share innovative approaches to viticulture and related naturalistic practices. The school was conceived as a platform for mutual exchange of experiences, skills, and ideas.
During the SIVIN days, Vitenova’s technicians addressed various topics and issues both in the classroom and directly in the vineyard. The goal was to first present the theoretical framework, providing participants with the knowledge necessary to understand the reasoning and methods behind certain practices and vineyard situations. Once in the field, the focus shifted to observation and hands-on management of the plants and soil, allowing participants to apply what had been discussed in the classroom.
In both settings, the topics were explored in depth, also thanks to questions from the winegrowers. It is the winegrowers themselves who know their vineyards and their territory best, and who can therefore refine and better guide their vineyard practices using the tools provided during the SIVIN sessions.
The spontaneous discussions that emerged during field activities added significant value compared to traditional classroom-based training. Being able to directly observe the subjects discussed and exchange personal experiences allowed for deeper understanding and more targeted discussions.
SIVIN 2022 Edition
This year, SIVIN was held at the wineries “La Biancara” of Angiolino Maule and “Muni” of Daniele Piccinin. Winegrowers from seven Italian regions took part (Veneto, Tuscany, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Valle d’Aosta, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont), including participants from areas such as Oltrepò Pavese, the province of Parma, Colli di Scandiano e Canossa, the hills of Florence, the Asti area, and surroundings of Udine and Padua.
Topics discussed in the classroom included the following:
- Soil fertility and adaptation to climate change
- Evaluating the plant relationship (through petiole analysis)
- Structure and function of vine wood: pruning-related knowledge tools
- Bud morphology: microscopic observation
- Beneficial insects in the vineyard environment
- Flavescence dorée and the vector Scaphoideus titanus
- Plants, their role, and their adaptive capacity
Field lessons covered topics such as:
- Soil profile
- Mineral and organic components of soil
- Roots and in-depth study of the root system
- Pruning and vine training systems
- Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs)
- Vine physiology and lymphatic vessels
- Plant structure
- Interpreting the 2022 season through bud structure
- Ecological context of the vineyard
- Identification and meaning of spontaneous plants
The next SIVIN sessions will be held in February and June 2023.
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