Until the 1960s, Tuscan farms were managed by sharecroppers. Where there were slopes, dry stone walls were built, which made even the steepest plots cultivable.
With the advent of mechanisation of farming techniques and the ‘industrial’ conversion of viticulture, the rows of vines were built according to the ‘rittochino’ arrangement, which were easier to cultivate because they lay on the steepest line of the slope, but problematic for the hydrogeological system.
Our terraced vineyard is an ‘old-fashioned’ vineyard, resting on terraces supported by grassy verges: no walls, but solid terraces covered with field beans.
Each terrace contains three rows of vines, while the ridge is bordered by a ditch that allows drainage, letting excess water run off.