The wiring is used to accompany the growth of the vines as the shoots lengthen. It also serves to arrange the vegetation neatly and therefore determines the organization of the grapes. In the past, the shoots were tied two by two with strips of melic leaves to an iron wire to prevent them from overlapping and crossing each other because otherwise the grape bunches would also be piled one on top of the other. Those who still work this way today use spools of synthetic raffia palm.

In the old vineyards and in those without double metal support wires, threads of synthetic materials are used that are able to hold back the vegetation. The goal is to pass through each row once, working with reels simultaneously. Some put them in a backpack so they can walk with hands free, ready to tie them to the head post; some use a motorbike to save a few steps and dedicate a few hours to their passion; some mount a piece on the tractor so they can insert the two coils. Everyone has his or her own method.

Another system is to mount pairs of spaced steel wires that can be closed with tongs, but you need to be very quick in inserting into the wires the growing shoots, which don’t always grow evenly. If they become long and heavy it will take a lot of effort to close the tongs.

After having stretched out the wires, you need to go close them so the weight of the shoots doesn’t open them. The greenery has to be arranged manually so that it doesn’t overlap, creating bundles of branches that are tangled and intertwined. This way, the leaves create an even wall that can make the most use of the light, an essential element in the accumulation of sugars.

Those with extremely large vineyards may also decide to use new machinery created to reduce the time and cost of the work, like the machine that simultaneously stretches and closes the wires. Designed principally for use on flat land, these machines require a special touch to be used on the slopes of our hills, as well as perfect timing so that the shoots are in the right position.

In this moment, between the end of May and the first half of June, the shoots can grow extremely quickly, and can even gain more than 5 centimeters of length a day. Almost without realizing it, you can find yourself faced with vegetation that seems unmanageable, and it is important to know that there is no time to lose, because the weather conditions, rain, heat and humidity can further accelerate the growth.

This work puts the farmer in contact with the various natures of his or her vines; nebbiolo has a vertical growth, a jump that permits it to climb without bunching up, thanks to long internodes. Barbera tends to let itself go in every direction; it is “soft,” but with very strong tendrils, present also on the grapes, that help it to anchor and climb, and has leaves that are lighter and sparser, which tend to leave the bunches freer. Dolcetto grows sagging from the beginning, weighted down by the leaves and shoots, and to ensure a certain order, it must be quickly tied to the first thread. If you don’t intervene in time, the the shoot will be tipped over by the weight widening the lines, and it will take more time to untangle it from the grass and fix it.