Married Wine
Origins of the Venetian Plantion
“(…) you can see dense rows of trees on whose tops the vines are stretched out, which fall from up there as if they were aerial branches. Here we get an idea of what festoons are! The ripe bunches weigh down on the tendrils which hang long and swinging” (Italienische Reise, Goethe, 1786)
Untill a few decades ago, the vineyards of the Po Valley had a very different appearance from how we know them today: grapes were grown and harvested together with other fruits and the combination of these crops and productions represented a heterogeneous natural structure: passed into history with the name of “Piantata Veneta” this system took the form of planting rows of vines along the edges of the land intended for the cultivation of
cereals, which were “maritata” with elms, maples, willows, but also cherry, fig, pear and apple trees (depending on the place and cultivation needs): live stakes that were made to grow together with the vines and their branches were modeled to be able to support their weight.
Today the Piantata Padana, another name for the “married wine”, has almost disappeared from the territory but the formula “maritata wine” has in itself an important meaning, as an expression of choices made along the centuries and witness of ancient traditions.
The origins of this cultivation method date back to more than 3,000 years ago, at the time of the Etruscans: these gave the name to this cultivation inspired by the way they saw the vine growing spontaneously in the woods and “getting married”, literally embracing the plants in a sweet and at the same time decisive way. The wine, in fact, is a climbing shrub, almost resembling a liana, and the wood, in our region, is its natural environment. Without interfering with the host plant, the grapevine rises towards the light, without being exposed to winter frosts and summer sunstrokes.
We can have evidence of the “maritata wine” in later Eras: from the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages until today; crops of this type are in fact represented in several artistic artifacts and paintings of every Era and in various artistic movements. Another important evidence is the set of cadastral maps made in 1500 by order of the Serenissima: on these writings we can find detailed descriptions of the territories of the Venetian plain, the various cultures, the villages, the vast lakes and marshes (prior to the first Venetian reclamation).
When not occupied by water, the lands were mostly dedicated to the cultivation of wines in the “maritata” way, and occupied an area four times as much than that intended for cereals.
Along with the interest in history and tradition, as well as respect for the natural predisposition of the plants, Marco Tessariol has chosen to dedicate some rows to the cultivation of “maritata wines”, as heritage of the past but revisited in a modern way. The Bianchetta and Verdiso grapes grow supporting apple, pear, cherry and fig trees, protected at the ends by mulberry or willow trees. In this way, walking through the vineyards, especially during the summer season, it is possible to pick up the fruits of these plants, savoring their taste and breathing emotions that these natural elements have been giving for centuries to those who love nature and traditions.
