Since 1993 Germano has mainly been looking after the Tessari family’s vineyards. He is the ‘middle’ brother between Antonio, the more mature (if I say ‘old’, he’ll get angry!), who looks after the winery, and Cornelia, the younger and more spirited one, who develops the Italian and foreign markets (someone has to sell this wine!).

After 11 years working in a local company, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a winemaker, discovering a passion that he still pursues with determination.

“Working your own land, the land where you were born and raised, and seeing the fruit of your efforts is the greatest satisfaction.” Germano says, so we continue our chat with him about the Simonit&Sirch method applied to the family’s vineyards.

“First of all, why did you choose to adopt this method?”

G: “Our technician had told me about it, others had suggested it to me and so, intrigued, I approached this world and tried it out. I must say that this method made me understand what happens inside the plant, the various processes of the vine and the life itself that it contains.”

E: “How does the method work?”

G: “Taken from the book: it is made up of a series of modular procedures which, if applied continuously over the years, support the controlled growth of individual plants, cutting only young wood that is one or two years old. This new approach, inspired by the pruning of the sapling, allows the plant to generate a growing structure that will characterise the training form.

In simple terms: the aim of the method is to rejuvenate the vine by using pruning techniques that cut into the new wood while leaving the old wood intact. This reduces injuries that can damage the vine.”

E: “Is the Veronese pergola a good solution?”

G: “Yes, in the vineyard I work with a single shoot, which means a substantial reduction in foliage with better and more effective plant management.”

E: “Is it a demanding job?”

G: “It’s not demanding but it has to be constant and continuous from pruning to budding and flowering.”

E: “Have you noticed any changes in the screws?”

G: “I see them definitely invigorated and, if I may say so, ‘rejuvenated’. I can manage them much better and more efficiently because there are fewer shoots and leaves, with more light and air for the bunches and for the vine itself”.

E: “What are you doing in the vineyard now?”

G: “Green pruning. It consists of removing shoots and shoots that are superfluous to the vine: those that will not bear grapes and that would only waste energy.”

E: “So, would you recommend it to your fellow winemakers?”

G: “Yes, absolutely, from my point of view and experience.”

So we end our chat with the family winemaker with a sigh of relief. He felt a bit under scrutiny, but he passed with flying colours!