ROOTS AND VALUES
An approach that starts from the vineyard
Our method is founded on paying attention to the local area. Every choice, in the vineyard as well as in the winery, comes out of daily observation of the plants, knowledge of the soils, and interpreting the climate changes that are redefining contemporary viticulture. For Botromagno, quality is not a random result: it is the consequence of precise, consistent teamwork that brings together technique, experience and the identity of the place.
Bigot Index
Understanding the vineyard in depth
The Bigot Index is at the heart of our agronomic approach.
The Bigot Index is at the heart of our agronomic approach.
It is a scientific tool that interprets the vineyard as a living organism and evaluates every aspect relevant to grape quality. Production, exposed leaf area, water status, grape health, vegetative vigour, soil biodiversity and bunch type are all monitored with precision throughout the year.
In collaboration with agronomist Giovanni Bigot, we conduct thousands of surveys that allow us to recognise the characteristics of each individual plot and predict the plant’s response to different environmental conditions. This approach is complemented by a direct knowledge of the vineyards: a heritage that, thanks in part to the company’s small size, we are able to follow row by row.
Knowing every vineyard in such detail means being able to decide when to intervene, how to modulate canopy management, what productive load to sustain and what winemaking direction to pursue. Quality, for us, begins here: in the ability to read the vineyard before transforming it in the cellar.
Quality is measured, cultivated, expressed
THE QUALITY POTENTIAL OF THE VINEYARD
At the heart of every vineyard lies a promise: a wine that can tell the story of the land it comes from. The quality potential of a vineyard is not just a matter of agronomy, but a subtle balance between nature, knowledge and vision. It is the sum of soil and climate factors, the choice of grape varieties, cultivation practices, and the sensitivity of the person who tends to it.
Every row is an open-air laboratory, where quality is built day after day, season after season. Exposure, soil composition, canopy management and care in harvesting are pieces of a mosaic that, if well orchestrated, can result in wines with great expressiveness, identity and longevity.
BIGOT INDEX
VINEYARD QUALITY POTENTIAL INDEX
Everyone claims that great wine is made in the vineyard, but is it possible to measure the quality of a vineyard?
The Bigot Index is a patented, scientific, absolutely innovative method of assessing the quality potential of a vineyard by taking into consideration 9 viticultural parameters that have direct influence on wine quality, specifically:
- production
- exposed leaf surface (SFE)
- ratio between square metres of leaves and the yield of grapes per trunk
- grape health
- bunch type
- water status of the plant
- vegetative vigour
- biodiversity and microorganisms
- age of the vineyard
These factors, which fit between the description of the soil and the climate, evaluate and consider the vineyard as a whole, as a living organism that adapts to the environment in which it grows, is affected by the seasons (and climate change), and only ripens great grapes with the optimal combination.
Vineyard quality potential index
The goal of the Bigot Index:
- to give winegrowers and all industry workers an objective method for synthetically assessing the quality potential of a vineyard, taking into consideration precisely the 9 most important agronomic parameters, individually internationally recognised as quality factors
- to bring consumers closer to understanding the importance of the vineyard in determining the quality of a wine, by giving them an assessment obtained from objective observations that is simple to understand
- to put the vineyard at the centre (bringing concrete attention back to the factors that determine quality) and promote surveys and evaluations performed by people, considering human observation as the basis of any conclusion that leads to action (OBSERVE-CONCLUDE-ACT)
Index Features
- the measurements needed to calculate it are all quick and easy (maximum 60 minutes total per season per vineyard), no special equipment or tools are needed, at most a field scale and the 4Grapes® application to record the data
- measurements can be made by anyone who attentively (and passionately) visits the vineyard, as while they must be precise, they are also easy to perform
- the final value of the Index is expressed on a 100-point scale
PRACTICAL USE
The Bigot Index is a corporate self-assessment tool. It serves to:
- set a level/result in order to improve in subsequent years (“If I set goals for myself to achieve, I can consolidate my results and improve them”)
- allows a classification of vineyards to be obtained
- is essential for organising harvest choices, scheduling and organising grape reception
- directly connects the wine with the vineyard, and is therefore important for the evaluation of the wines, which is performed in the winery together with the winemaker, and an excellent moment to redefine cultivation operations for the following year
- is crucial in determining the economic value of the vineyard, as high index values indicate higher value and potential of the vineyard, therefore also a higher price.
WHY WE CHOOSE THIS APPROACH
Knowledge sets us free. Knowing how to observe and interpret the signals your vineyard gives you is essential to making informed, targeted choices.
With viticultural seasons becoming increasingly unpredictable, only those who fully understand the complexity of the vineyard system can effectively intervene on each quality parameter, directly affecting the quality of the grapes and, consequently, the wine.
Take control of your decisions without being influenced by those who try to sell you pre-packaged solutions. Learn to observe, conclude and act competently and accurately.
Man* at the heart of the vineyard
Restoring the ability to OBSERVE in order to achieve adaptive viticulture. New technologies and external data are indispensable tools that help us detect vineyard information, but above all, we give importance to the people in the vineyard. Monitoring surveys will have even more impact, offering you a unique solution tailored to your specific vineyard.
*Homo Sapiens Sapiens
territory and vision
P.E.R. – Reasoned Enological Pathway
Identity, purity, wholesomeness, freshness, drinkability — these are the goals we pursue in the production of our wines.
To achieve these results, we have developed an approach that we identify as the Reasoned Enological Pathway (P.E.R.).
The PER is a tool for sharing among all stakeholders to explain the decisions made and the winemaking objectives already defined; this allows us to reduce invasive practices, adapting to circumstances on a case-by-case basis, while maintaining our product goals.
In this project, technical precision, an in-depth knowledge of the territory, dialogue, exchange of information, and a direct connection between fieldwork and the planning of winery objectives are the foundations of Botromagno’s vision.
All technical choices will be evaluated as a consequence of the vintage, scientific knowledge, and the sensitivity of each individual operator involved in the project, in order to obtain the best possible wine from the finest grapes.
We have chosen to NOT CHOOSE.
Every small plot in the vineyard becomes a small individual vinification.
Fermentations are never static or identical; barriques, amphorae, demijohns, and steel fermenters are all used. Combining scientific and technical precision with tradition; making use of different vessels to enhance the unique terroir of Gravina.
Thinking of the winemaking method as a dynamic process — one that follows the vintages, free from forcing — to produce wines that always bring us back to the vineyard, among the rows.
identity, territory and vision
From the land to its expression in wine
The Bigot Index and P.E.R. work together to give coherence to the entire production process, allowing the wines to express freshness, precision and the character of the Alta Murgia.
Each wine is born as a direct result of the conditions of individual vineyards and the agronomic and enological choices that accompany them throughout the year.
The Botromagno method is a balance between knowledge, rigour and listening to the land: an approach that evolves with the vintages, respects the territory and offers its most authentic identity in the glass.