CANTINA SEMONTE - WINEGROWERS IN GUBBIO
Our vineyards
The vineyards
Cantina Semonte, vineyards were planted from 2009 onwards in Semonte, a hamlet to the west of Gubbio. The loose fragments of rock in this terroir tend to be of limestone with good organic substance, which is an element of major importance to achieve well-balanced plant growth and reproduction.
The history of a wine among the vine rows
All the Cantina Semonte vines have a very wide spacing layout with a density of approximately 6,300 plants per hectare. Production for each individual plant has settled at less than a kilo of grapes per vine (4-5 bunches).
A perfect duo
The marked difference in temperature between day and night, especially in the final stages of maturation and in June and July, together with a sufficient water supply as the plants are developing, contribute to giving Semonte wines intense bouquets of red fruit, undergrowth and cherry and to achieving good alcohol and acidity levels.
Young but promising
The technological parameters achieved by Semonte wines over recent years of cultivation are clear proof. The future, therefore, looks very bright for the production of some highly prized wines with good ageing potential and consisting of great aromatic structure and olfactory complexity, typical of winegrowing areas that stand out for their unique, characteristic features.
The Vineyards
Cantina Semonte extends over approximately 13 ha in Semonte, in the municipality of Gubbio in the Province of Perugia. The estate is divided into several vineyards, all located in Mocaiana, Monteleto, Semonte and San Marco in the municipality of Gubbio.
The main body consists of the early vineyards, on which scientific research was carried out to assess the vocation of the terroir and the response of the autochthonous varieties rediscovered in the area around Gubbio. The Dolcetto is, therefore, the most important variety on the estate, followed by other varieties identified as international.
The vineyards are sustained by a soil of loose fragments of rock that tend to be of limestone with good organic substance, which is an element of major importance to achieve well-balanced plant growth and reproduction. All the company’s vineyards are coded for precise traceability and to facilitate internal logistics.
Cultivation and husbandry
Cantina Semonte works according to integrated pest management, which is why it prefers to use plant protection products permitted by organic farming and, if climate conditions are bad or encourage the development of pathogens, it uses products permitted in integrated pest management. In addition to monitoring the climate conditions, vine diseases and their phenological development in the estate, the vineyards are also constantly being monitored. Specialised technicians are supported by the use of mobile and computer technology platforms (App, Agricolus, Horta srl and Fieldclimate).
vite.net® (Horta srl) is an interactive Internet tool for vine cultivation according to sustainable winegrowing principles. It has been developed as a DSS, i.e. an expert decision support system. A DSS is a computerised platform, which collects crop data in real time via sensors and scouting instruments. It organises this data into cloud systems (2) and interprets it using advanced modelling techniques and big data. It automatically integrates the data to produce information, warnings and decisional support. Platform users use this information for precise agronomic management of their crops. The data regarding crop operations also enter the database in order to generate a constant flow of continually updated information between the crop, the DSS and the user.
To control the main pests which present the greatest risk in our areas (grape moth, scaphoideus titanus), the technical group uses pheromone and chromatic traps to monitor the presence and development of the generations of these insects. Soil management is completely mechanical, and therefore under row tillage is preferred to the use of weed killers. Furthermore, the vineyards all use cover crops to restrict mechanical tillage and combat phenomena such as landslides or erosion.
Vine husbandry operations are all carried out by hand: pruning, disbudding, leaf stripping, desuckering, thinning and above all harvesting.
CANTINA SEMONTE - WINEGROWERS IN GUBBIO