Posts

Vendemiia 2025 in Tenuta Montemagno

The 2025 Harvest at Tenuta Montemagno

/in /by

Excellent balance between freshness, acidity, and structure across all labels.

Article written in collaboration with oenologist Roberto Nantiat, together with Gianfranco Cordero of Tenuta Montemagno.

As every year, weather conditions are the most important and influential factors for those who work in agriculture and, more specifically, in vineyards.

2023 was a year of high temperatures and severe drought. In contrast, 2024 brought conditions completely opposite to the previous year.

 And what about 2025? How was the harvest at Tenuta Montemagno?

Once again this year, we interviewed oenologist Roberto Nantiat, who, along with Gianfranco Cordero, oversees the work at Tenuta Montemagno. He updated us on this year’s climate and harvest.

Roberto Nantiat

2025 has been a year of recovery because, at least until around mid-August, the climate was normal and well-balanced.

Spring rainfall was slightly abundant but manageable, and thanks to good seasonal temperatures, it favored steady plant growth.

By mid-August, however, we saw a sudden spike in temperatures lasting a couple of weeks, with peaks of 36–37°C. During this period, the heat remained high even at night. Thus, from what had been a calm and rainy year, in just about fifteen days we transitioned into a very hot one.

This had a direct impact on the grapes, which ripened very quickly and earlier than expected. As a result, the harvest began ahead of schedule, also thanks to the excellent sugar levels reached sooner than usual.

vendemmia 2025

On August 19, we began picking Sauvignon (Nymphae and Musae), about two weeks earlier than the usual start date of August 25. By the time we harvested, these grapes already had high sugar content compared to past vintages, which typically began later in the month.

After the mid-August heat, we experienced several weeks of rain toward the end of the month, while the harvest was already underway. This sudden shift lowered temperatures and required a revision of the harvest schedule. We carried out additional sampling to monitor ripening in the vineyards and identify the best dates for each variety.

As a result, we continued with early harvests between late August and the first week of September for Ruchè (Invictus and Nobilis), Timorasso (Solis Vis), and Barbera (Austerum and Mysterium).

In early September, we harvested Syrah (Violae) and Grignolino (Ruber). Today, September 17, we are close to completing the harvest, significantly earlier than in previous years (which typically ended between late September and October 10).

How did this climatic trend, with an earlier (and faster) harvest, reflect on the quality of the wines?

The first tastings show very promising wines, with beautiful freshness (meaning bright acidity), the right alcohol levels, and balance compared to typical high-alcohol wines of hotter vintages. We will therefore have wines that are very well-balanced in terms of freshness, acidity, structure, and alcohol content.

By late November, we expect to begin preparing Malvasia for bottling Dulcem with its flat cork closure.

This year, Piedmont experienced significant rainfall and even hailstorms. What about Tenuta Montemagno’s vineyards?

All major storm systems bypassed our area, sparing us the intense rainfall seen elsewhere in the region.

We did experience a few heavy showers, sometimes accompanied by strong winds, but these had no negative impact on the vineyards.

The soil, which was very dry, absorbed the abundant water perfectly. No hail was recorded, and the grapes remained healthy.

Every year brings specific climatic conditions, requiring readiness and swift action.

vino Tenuta Montemagno

These challenges are part of the experience and professionalism of the people working at Tenuta Montemagno. Thanks to this expertise, our winery can consistently ensure the highest quality production, pleasing even the most demanding wine enthusiasts.

Tenuta Montemagno in inverno

Work in the vineyard and cellar of Tenuta Montemagno at the end of winter

/in /by

Article written in collaboration with Roberto Nantiat and Gianfranco Cordero, winemakers of Tenuta Montemagno

A few days ago we entered the spring season, the period in which the vineyard wakes up from its winter rest and prepares to be reborn to bear those wonderful fruits that we will harvest at the end of the summer season. In the last article, we learnt what work had to be done at the beginning of the cold season.

In this one, we will see with Roberto Nantiat, the oenologist who, together with Gianfranco Cordero, follows the work at Tenuta Montemagno, what has been done in the second half of the winter and how we are preparing for the spring awakening.

Let us begin by pointing out that from January to the present (we are now in the last ten days of March), winter has been characterised by mild temperatures. 

Roberto Nantiat

Only in February, and for less than a week, temperatures dropped below freezing. As far as precipitation is concerned, it must also be said that it has been decidedly scarce, indicating a continuity of drought that has persisted since last year.

In the vineyard, all pruning was completed; the shoots that had been cut at the end of the harvest were removed completely.

Since the beginning of March, we have been bending and tying the fruit heads to allow the plants to start sprouting for the new vintage.

It was precisely in this latter period that a much faster vegetative recovery than normal vine activity was noted.

In fact, the presence of the first cotton buds was observed, a sign that these are swelling, when normally in March the first ‘weeping’ of the vines should have been seen.

It must be said, however, that these weeping did take place, even if, due to the low amount of water reserve, they were not as vigorous as can normally be observed.

Vigna inverno

The climatic changes observed last year, and in particular from the end of the 2022 harvest to the present, were the subject of a meeting between oenologists and Tenuta Montemagno’s agronomist, Maurizio Cerrato. The purpose of the meeting was to define a strategy to be implemented in order to deal in the best possible conditions with the adversities brought about by the weather and not only. In fact, this year a number of new natural-based products will be used to support the plants both against water shortages and to supplement and reinforce their defences against attacks by parasites and fungi.

In the cellar, bottling of all the white wines continued (an activity that should be completed by the end of March), while, again towards the end of the month, the TM Brut will be drawn, thus initiating the second fermentation in the bottle with yeasts and sugars to produce the bubbles. At the beginning of March, the Grignolino was bottled, while for all the other red wines the ageing phase continued, depending on the type of wine, in tanks or in barrels.We can say that the winter was a season of work to prepare the vineyards in the best possible way and to activate the strategies that will allow nature to work in the best conditions with. the arrival of fine weather. The next appointment with our editorials dedicated to Tenuta Montemagno’s vineyards and winery is scheduled for July; on that occasion we will be able to tell you what was done during the Spring 2023.

vendemmia timoroso 2022

Work in vineyard and cellar: the harvest 2022

/in /by

Article written in collaboration with Roberto Nantiat and Gianfranco Cordero, winemakers of Tenuta Montemagno

The harvest, as we know, is one of the most awaited moments for wine producers. The final result of the harvest is destined to end up on the tables and tasting counters, to crown the sublime love story that unites man and nature. In Tenuta Montemagno the 2022 harvest has just ended. Begun at the end of August, with the harvest of the Sauvignon grapes, it ended more or less four weeks later.

This year the work was particularly demanding due to the severe drought that characterized the summer of 2022. During the summer months, as we described in the previous article, we worked to ensure that the vines best overcome the stress caused by dry land and water scarcity.

These operations led to the desired outcome and the rows entered the harvest period in the best state of health. However, during the harvest it was noted that the ripening of the grapes was uneven. For this reason we proceeded to make a careful selection of the rows and the individual bunches to be harvested, carrying out the operation at the right time. 

The fact of having brought to the cellar uneven bunches in the maturation, allowed to have, in the whole harvest, a more balanced product: not too alcoholic and, at the same time, not too low in acidity. This is why Tenuta Montemagno’s technicians are extremely satisfied with this vintage. Also from the quantity point of view there is satisfaction as we obtain a harvest equal to that of last year.

At the time of writing this article, the alcoholic fermentation and winemaking operations are almost complete; shortly we will proceed with malolactic fermentation, which serves to transform malic acid into lactic acid and to reduce the presence of residual sugars present after alcoholic fermentation.

This is one of the final stages before the product from the last harvest got goes to rest in the tanks and, for the reds, in the barrels, and gives life to the final wines.

We conclude by stating that the expectations on the quality of the 2022 harvest are very high. A very atypical vintage, even for the most experienced operators who have been working in the wine sector for some time, but which will lead to obtain, at least as regards Tenuta Montemagno, high quality wines balanced between acidity and alcohol content.