In 2011 we decided to expand by building two new vineyards, one in the nearby town of Besazio and the other in Rancate, on lands that used to be hay fields. In Rancate, the first we did, in about a month we planted 3,000 square meters of vineyard. We did all the work from fertilizing the soil to sowing and fixing the support rods.

In Besazio the story is a little more special. About a century ago farmers planted wheat on these terraces. About fifty years ago they were abandoned and the forest swallowed everything. When we bought the land about twenty years ago and we found out that these woods were full of dry stone walls, so we immediately start cleaning up. Although the bulk of the work was finished after a year, it took fifteen years to bring it back to its original appearance.

Then in 2011 we decided to plant the vines, embarking on a gigantic mission: restore 4,000 square meters of dry stone walls. All the profiles were eroded, so it was necessary to level everything up and rebuild the parts that were completely destroyed due to the presence of rain and animals, while the walls that are still standing are weatherproof. The old really knew how to build things.

After the structure was finished we planted the vineyard. In order not to harm the new plants it was important to water abundantly. At the beginning we didn’t have any water connection but fortunately there is a small spring that we could use to store what we needed.

Another very special feature of this land is that underneath there is marble and an old abandoned quarry. What was extracted from this area, given its particular grain, was used throughout history to decorate important buildings all around Europe.

It’s an honor to have one of the few vineyards in the world that are part of UNESCO. The St. George mountain is part of it because it has the oldest fossils on the planet. And therefore also the activities and products that derive from his land are part of it.

The story behind the label of the Ticinòlogo comes from a dramatic situation that we are witnessing recently. Once almost all the lands here in the area were cultivated. Over time more and more houses have been built to become almost entirely a residential area. We have even reached a point where newcomers wonder why there are still fields that invade their neighborhood.

We have learned this lesson at our expense. One of our vineyards was located on rented land. This had always been cultivated. After a fifteen-year contract, one of the owners decided to build houses. So we had to move out. We have slowly taken everything apart. Unfortunately the plants were the real victims, which could not be transplanted. Too bad because they produced an excellent grape.

A small part remained alive. But only 411 remained from more than 2,000 plants. So the image on the label is a reproduction of a map of our area around the 70’s. There were more vineyards than houses, now it is the opposite. And the name “Il Ticinòlogo” (The Ticinologist) is a nomenclature of our invention that describes those attached to our land and close to our traditions.

Today the building that is there is called "Vineyard House". Ironic right?