The Cocito Dario Company, makes wines exclusively from its own grapes and personally oversees all the phases of production.
The work in the vineyard is our main commitment. It’s here that we spend most of our time, taking care of the vineyards.
Late winter: this is the time for winter pruning or dry pruning, done by hand directly by Dario Cocito.
It’s a complex process that only expert eyes and hands can carry out after a life dedicated to this work. The unproductive branches are pruned in favor of those that will bear fruit the following year. This is done by selecting the number of buds to leave on each branch.
The excess branches are shredded and reused as natural fertilizer: our philosophy does not allow for the use of chemical fertilizers.
As far as pesticide treatment is concerned we use copper and sulfur covering products, but not fungicides, and we use crop protection products only when strictly needed.
The beginning of Spring: the selected branches are tied to the vineyards. The choice of the period in which to tie the branches must take into account the temperature and the climate: if it’s too cold it could damage to the integrity of the branches because of the lack of their flexibility, yet if it’s too hot it could damage the buds that have opened in advance.
Spring – Summer: during the hottest months we dedicate our work to taking care of the vineyard.
Once spring germination starts to take place we begin the green pruning or the so-called summer pruning, thus giving shape to the vines. The excess vegetation is removed and we then proceed to cleaning the shoots by chamfering and suckering.
Defoliation is a fundamental step in the cultivation process. It allows for aeration and improves the illumination of the grapes during their ripening. When the grapes begin changing their color from green to red/black we cut the grape clusters that are the farthest from the shoots that receive less nourishment and we leave one or two clusters per branch.
Late summer: this is when the harvest, strictly by hand, takes place. The coronation of all our work.
The harvest takes place during the entire month of September beginning with the whites, Moscato and Cortese. We then move on to the reds starting with the Dolcetto and we finish in the last days of the months with Barbera, Bonarda and Grignolino. The next step is the work in the Wine Cellar where the transformation of grape must into wine begins.