Arrigoni’s range of solutions for the defence of wine grapes protects crops from adverse weather conditions, which are increasingly unpredictable and harmful, even for prestigious wine crops
As well as being very practical to install, the protection screens of Arrigoni stand out for their ability to adapt to the specific wine-growing area and make it possible to maintain a correct distance between the net and the tendrils, thereby ensuring that the grapes do not come into contact with the net in the event of hail.
Extreme weather conditions are becoming increasingly frequent and beyond the control of growers. In addition, other potential hazards arise from global warming, such as excessive irradiation, strong winds and other factors that may have a decisive impact on the physiology of the vines, the growth cycles and the quality of the grapes harvested.
As a result, Arrigoni has designed an entire range of anti-hail protection, known as “apron” protection, which is also effective against various other hazards typical of viticulture.
First and foremost, as well as providing active protection against hail, it also offers excellent solutions to combat high irradiation, while at the same time facilitating the creation of the ideal microclimate and better-growing conditions for wine grapes, which are threatened by too high temperatures.
Secondly, the system uses the grape cluster containment structure, and the accessories are also designed to ensure that the net remains attached to the structure itself. A further advantage of this system is its extreme flexibility: the net can be very easily opened and closed during agricultural operations, simplifying the pruning process during the winter.
The efficiency of these solutions has been demonstrated on the field. Emis France, Arrigoni’s exclusive distributor for the transalpine nation, has conducted technical tests the vineyards of the Château Peyroutas in Saint-Émilion, in the Bordeaux region. In this area, which boasts outstanding viticulture – first in the world to be classified as UNESCO heritage for its vineyards – producers have had to deal with climate change and extremely high temperatures in recent years during the grape ripening period, when the compounds that determine the wine’s future quality are formed and balanced.
In particular, the fruitiness, aroma, acidity and relatively low alcohol content of Bordeaux wines in the (former) cool climate are adversely affected by high ripening temperatures.
Wines with a high ethanol content cause a number of inconveniences to both the producer and the consumer. This high sugar content was subsequently converted to ethanol by yeasts, which led to wines becoming more alcoholic, increasing the perception of heat, altering the complexity of the perception of wine aromas, and decreasing the colour intensity and stability.
The current trend in the world is to consume beverages with low alcohol content and increased antioxidants concentration. To effectively resolve this problem, the Iride Bayco and Iride Multi Pro Extra shading systems – designed to protect against extreme insolation, hail and wasp attacks – have been successfully tested.
Sebastien Moulias, sales director of Emis France, explained, “The Arrigoni system primarily protects vines from hail and high temperatures. It is also simple and easy to use. Further research is underway, and there will soon be new innovations in this regard.”
“Following the positive results obtained during the field trials,” added Benjamin Banton of Banton & Lauret, “We will rely on Emis France to protect our vines from drought. Every year is different, and this year in particular, we observed that we really needed the quality and performance of Arrigoni nets.”
