Animals in the vineyard

Sara Vezza describes the vineyards as the centre of her work, requiring attention throughout the year to produce healthy grapes while remaining part of a balanced habitat. Around the cellar in Castelletto, vineyards alternate with woods, fruit trees, hazelnut trees and meadows. Thirty percent of the estate has been maintained or replanted as forest; uncultivated areas include an educational truffle zone, orchard, hazelnut grove and beehives.

Seasonal encounters reveal the habitat’s diversity: a hare in the courtyard, roe deer eating nearly ripe grapes, badgers crossing the rows and occasional foxes along the paths. Ladybirds, butterflies, bees and earthworms signal active vineyard life. Robins and blue tits nest among vine leaves but have become harder to see, prompting the installation of birdhouses in the wood below the cellar and winter feeding with fat balls and seeds.

A family circuit with educational stops was being prepared to introduce children to the vineyard and its different surrounding environments. The project expresses a view of the vineyards not only as the family’s home, but as a refuge for other living creatures under its care.