The Freedom to Be a Brush
The Baldi family was an organic pioneer in Piedmont long before it was popular, and for 33-year-old Gabriele Baldi, life as an organic wine producer continues to be a journey toward high-quality wines in close symbiosis with nature.
Note to the reader! I did this interview with Gabriele Baldi in May 2024 as a prototype of the content for MotoVino Adventures. I consider it an evergreen article that puts the Baldi family's philosophy as wine makers into a perspective that doesn't change with time. It's eternal. So even though Gabriele has aged a few years since the interview, his point of view is as relevant today as then. Enjoy!
He crouches in front of the vine and pulls off the new shoots at the bottom of the stem. They are called "bastards" and need to be removed, since they grow very fast and draw nutrients meant for the rest of the vine.
When he reaches the first branch with small, new grapes, he leaves a large, older leaf to provide some shade for the grapes. At the same time, he avoids removing a younger baby leaf that has sprouted.
I wonder why he doesn't remove it. Wasn't the point to remove the new shoots? He explains that…
