It was February 2020, and I was in Montalcino for the first time, visiting wine producers. My final stop was in the south-east of the region, where I met with Katia Nussbaum of San Polino. We had an hour together, and we packed every minute with – almost breathless – conversation as we strode around her vineyard, overlooked by the mighty, now extinct volcano Monte Amiata. It was one of the most energising exchanges I had ever had with a winegrower.
San Polino’s vines... are surrounded by forest.
San Polino’s vines, like many in Montalcino, are surrounded by forest. Here, trees and vines cohabit, in stark contrast to many wine regions where uninterrupted rows of vines stand in monotonous monoculture. The team had recently planted a variety of fruit trees at the end of the vine rows to bring more diversity into the vineyard. Katia’s mind was buzzing with ideas, and she fired (mostly rhetorical) questions at me as we walked. I fired back questions of my own.
Trees are social beings
We both knew that trees communicate with each other – through the networks of mycorrhizal fungi they create – and support each other, with the delivery of nutrients and water, for example, or with fighting pests and diseases. Similarly, we were familiar with the idea that trees are ‘social beings’, living – effectively – in communities. Our questions included: do vines communicate with each other like trees have been shown to do? Could trees support vines in a similar way to which they support each other? What if, during periods of extreme water stress, trees could bring much-needed water aid to the vines? (The drought vintage of 2017 was still raw in Montalcino’s collective memory.) What if trees and vines could tap into a shared fungal network of resources and collaborate rather than compete?
These were new, mind-blowing and exhilarating ideas to me. I had read Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees, but I had not made the – now, it seemed to me, obvious – connection to what this might mean for the unseen life of vines.
‘Vitiforestry’ has entered our lexicon very recently – adapted from ‘agroforestry’ – and indicates the practice of incorporating trees, shrubs or hedgerows into a vineyard. There are three main forms that this typically takes. Firstly, trees are planted around the boundaries of the vineyard, at the end of the vine rows, or in rewilded spaces interspersed throughout the vineyard. Secondly, trees are integrated within the vine rows themselves, interplanted with the vines. Thirdly, and most ambitiously in the context of modern viticulture, vines are trained up and around trees, mimicking the ancient method of the Etruscans, known as ‘vite maritata’, or ‘married vines.’ In this third method, the trees are a living trellis system for the vines.
Read more about Scacciadiavoli in our article Reviving ancient vine traditions: Scacciadiavoli’s radical plan.
Vines are woodland climbing plants.
Vines and trees are, of course, natural companions. Vines are woodland climbing plants; when left to grow in the wild, they seek out their own support structures, creeping and climbing their way upwards to find the light, that all-important ingredient for photosynthesis, and becoming inextricably entwined with the trunk of the tree as well as its branches. Thanks to the agroecological and regenerative farming movements, the importance of trees in the vineyard ecosystem is increasingly being acknowledged, studied and trialled.
She could tell them about a simple machine needing no fuel and little maintenance, one that steadily sequesters carbon, enriches the soil, cools the ground, scrubs the air, and scales easily to any size. A tech that copies itself and even drops food for free. A device so beautiful it’s the stuff of poems.Richard Powers’ The Overstory
At the most basic level, the introduction of trees enhances biodiversity in the vineyard, not just above the ground, providing a habitat for birds, insects and other animals (some of which are natural predators of vineyard pests), but, critically, below the ground, with the introduction of additional living roots and the diverse microorganisms with which they connect, including mycorrhizal fungi. A more complex soil microbiome improves the vineyard’s resilience against climatic stresses as well as diseases. Significantly, trees capture and store carbon in the soil, providing a food source for the soil microorganisms, and increasing the organic matter and thus the water-holding capacity of the vineyard – an example of trees (indirectly) helping vines to manage drought.
A new frontier in viticulture
Further benefits include the useful shade that trees provide, not just for the soil and the vines themselves, but also for vineyard workers and animals. As well as being a cooling influence during heat spikes, trees have a radiating effect and can provide frost protection during cold spells. Trees, if planted in the right place, can also shelter the vines from strong gusts of damaging wind or hail. Depending on the type of tree, the winegrower can potentially generate additional income by harvesting another crop.
Incorporating trees into a vineyard system is not necessarily straightforward, however, neither environmentally nor economically – although vitiforestry activists (yes, they exist!) advocate for starting in a small way, perhaps by planting native shrubs along the border of a block. The challenges that integrating trees pose include competition for water, more intense in drought-prone regions, and the potential for introducing new pests and diseases. Furthermore, some trees transmit chemical signals that prevent other plants from growing in their vicinity. Therefore, thoughtful selection of what type of tree(s) to plant is critical, with native species preferable.
Vitiforestry presents a new, yet ultimately old, frontier in viticulture, and the exciting possibility of establishing a balanced and harmonious ecosystem in which to grow vines. There are still many questions to answer, but the fact that we are daring to ask them is hugely positive. It might be inconceivable today, but can you imagine a time where instead of referring to a vineyard, we talk about a vitiforest…?
