From Enotria 2005 :
Andrea Valentinuzzi, Friulian agronomist, owner of Synthesis (Advanced viticulture & winemaking consulting group), a service company operating in the wine-making industry, explains that: “Today, according to our experience, there are truly very few people who understand that an “efficient” vineyard means lower costs, better quality and therefore greater competitivity. This is largely due to the size of the companies that do not reach a critical mass large enough for significant numbers to appear on their balance sheet. Many smallholders do not even know what a balance sheet is, and this speaks volumes. In terms of costs today, quality production may be planned with considerably reduced figures provided that the following data are available: commercial objective, available resources (human and economic); situation of the company at time zero. Let us bear in mind that the profit margin of a farm is between 2 and 5% (in the best cases) of turnover, and the smaller the company, the greater will be the efforts needed especially initially”. -What do you think is the role of people in the vineyard? “I would say that fortunately it is still fundamental – explains Valentinuzzi -. The farsightedness and the sensitivity of someone who passes each day in the vineyard, of someone who still “walks the vineyard” is a fundamental plus in terms of quality. Nowadays, much if not quite everything can be managed and optimised mechanically, but nothing can replace the intuition, sensitivity, passion and inquiry that the experience of someone who visits his vineyard daily is able to perceive”. - How can we reduce costs yet still have quality viticulture? “Mechanisation certainly has the lion’s share – says Valentinuzzi – but there are other strategies whose weight, especially after the first few years, have a fundamental value. Amongst these we can list the application of well-aimed plant health plans, the correct application of specific fertilisation plans, the introduction of new cultivation techniques, not to mention the correct application of the various principles and finally even the incorporation of several entities in the case of particularly costly investments”.