Christmas is around the corner, and as usual, we called upon Cristiano and Gilles to design our Christmas tree. They came up with a unique Christmas tree inspired by nature, made from material easily found while strolling around Vignamaggio. You can make this tree too, from what you find as you explore the fields and […]
Biologico
COMPOST: WHAT IS IT AND WHAT IS IT USED FOR?
WHAT IS COMPOST USED FOR? Compost is a natural fertilizer and is necessary for enriching the ground, making it more fertile and productive. Differently from chemical fertilizers, compost is environmentally friendly. It is also an ecological and wise method of dealing with organic waste that would otherwise end up burned or in dumps. Adding compost […]
THE MONALISA POTATOES
At the end of March Vignamaggio planted its first potatoes, on 1000 square metres of sandy, stone-free land, close to the Greve River, irrigated by a drip system. The potato plants are fed with our own compost, made from wood chips, pomace and organic manure. WHAT VARIETY OF POTATO DID WE SELECT? Our decision was […]
WINTER SALADS
During the holidays there is always an onslaught of meat and fish, roasted and stuffed. We thought that the vegetables in our vegetable gardens also deserve a place on the dinner tables of special occasions. The base we started with is a simple radicchio and pomegranate salad: other than being delicious and in season, the […]
THE FIRST DROPS
We often hear the term olio nuovo, or new olive oil, but it is not always clear what this means. It is commonly used to refer newer oil, to oil that is under a year old. A bottle of oil from the November 2016 harvest would therefore be considered “olio nuovo” until the arrival of […]
GROWING BARLEY: 30 years later
The organic barley of Vignamaggio was sowed last October and harvested two weeks ago. The combine-harvester in the picture was used the last time in the early ’80s, before vineyards took over the Chianti landscape, to the detriment of the small scale cereal plantations; these plantations played an essential role for the daily […]
ORGANIC ORCHARD
This autumn saw the beginnings of an ambitious new project: on sunny uncultivated land on the edges of the vineyards between Vignamaggio and Vitigliano, Vignamaggio’s organic fruit orchard is slowly taking shape. The idea for an orchard originated as an aspiration to diversify cultivation and to move away from the “vineyard/olive grove” duo that has […]