There’s a saying in Maremma that literally goes like this «An old man in a corner will do much more than a young man in a field», meaning that experience and wisdom often has a greater effect than physical strength. This very saying is what we wrote on five awards we gave to as many special members, last week. We’re referring to five elderly members, all born in the Twenties, who were awarded «for the excellent results they obtained in a complex vintage such as the 2014 one, for having proven that with experience, constance and capacity, even difficulties can be transformed into a success».
The prize giving was held by Alessandro Fiorini, the winery’s agronomist. After all, who better than him, since he supports them constantly in the vineyard? In fact, he said the «if they don’t hear from you for some time, they’re the first to call you and ask you when you will come to check their vineyard».
Sometimes one could think that given the experience acquired during such a long time, changes are harder to accept, yet Alessandro says: «Working with these members was a pleasure, over these years, because they accept what you say, they are the perfect example of persons dedicated to work. I didn’t have any difficulties in explaining some steps, some activities to do in the vineyard, because they were always ready to understand the elements of innovation and their validity».
Despite their age, every day these members attend to their vineyard, with constance, dedication. They do so knowing that the work in the vineyard is something you do daily, a work in which harvest time is only the climax, the final goal.
Of course, by then, when harvest approaches, each steps becomes even more important, and indeed Alessandro jokes: «when the time to collect the grapes arrives, they torture you with phone-calls». Thirty-seven times a day, he ventures during the award giving ceremony. «They’re obsessed with the idea of giving the best possible grapes».
Here are their names: Sebastiano Tonini (born in 1923), Orlando Galli (1926), Avellino Pavin (1927), Mario Grascelli (1928) and Florindo Capitini (1928).
