The farm, owned by the Cerutti family since the early twentieth century, has an extension of about 12 hectares. The land, gently collimated, stretches around the farmhouse, the recently build winery and the arcade, that now is used as a shelter for tools. The land of the company was cultivated, up to the 50s or so, as arable soil, allowing in this way the breeding of cattle. All the work was done by hand or with rudimentary equipment pulled by oxen. Limited was the cultivation of grapes, with only a few scattered rows that interrupted the expanse of fields. The grapes produced was sufficient for family needs. It was collected, placed in a vat and pressed with feet. The must was transported in wooden barrels where it fermented and underwent the natural transformation into wine.
In 1948 the intensive cultivation of vines began, as it was understood that this activity was most suitable for the hilly terrain. For the first time, they carried out the trenching of the soil by mechanical means: a high–power tractor towing a plow capable of digging 1 meter deep furrows. Moreover, the espalier method of vine cultivation (a vine after the other, horizontally) was, this latter, a very important innovation, as it allowed the use of mechanical means for working the soil in an easy, fast and complete way. Furthermore, the product also receives more sun’s heat and fungicide treatments. Within 20 years or so, we reached 10 hectares of vineyards in production.
Red grapes such as Croatina, Barbera, Uva Rara, Pinot and Cabernet, and white grapes such as Riesling, Moscato, Malvasia and Chardonnay, are grown here. Most of the produce is pressed and vinified in the cellar of the company, following controlled methods, complying with the rules, but homemade. A portion of the produce is brought to the “La Versa” Cooperative Winery. Until two decades ago, vinification took place in a wine cellar adjacent to the old house. Space was limited and uncomfortable.
