Grape Harvest
Harvesting starts around September 20th and continues until October 10th: ripening periods vary according to the vineyards, however this does not prevent the production of balanced wines every year.
The quality of Casa D'ambra wines starts from the care of the vineyard and therefore from our grapes. For this reason the cutting is exclusively done by hand. The selection of grapes is done at the moment of harvesting. After the cut, bunches are placed in small perforated boxes, which are then immediately brought to the winery in order to be processed. The harvesting period begins at the end of August and ends at the beginning of October.
The quality of our wines comes from the care of the vineyard and grapes. We start the harvest towards the end of August and finish it at the beginning of October. The cutting is done exclusively by hand, which allows us to select the grapes during the harvest. The bunches of grapes are then placed in perforated boxes and transported to the cellar for processing.
VENDEMMIA
The harvesting period varies according to the altitude of vineyards from sea level to 700 meters (1,640 feet) and begins in the last ten days of August and ends in the first ten days of October. Harvesting in Ischia island does not respect the classic canons of grape cutting of many Italian wine areas. It is fundamental to respect the ripening period and the multitude of varieties of grapes according to the slopes, the altitude and the different cultivation systems. Most of the cultivation operations are carried out by hand, and in some areas, given the slope, we help ourselves for the ascent of the boxes with a monorail that runs about 600 m on the west side of Mount Epomeo (789 m) from the collection points to the loading point.
CRUSHING AND DESTEMMING
The boxes, filled during the cutting of a maximum of 20 kg each, are brought to the cellar in a very short time from the cutting, in order to avoid unwanted prefermentation. The whole grapes (for white wines) are put into the latest generation presses extracting only the noble part of the berries. The must obtained in this way is immediately cooled and then roughly "cleaned".
FERMENTATION
Fermentation lasts from 20 to 30 days and takes place at a controlled temperature between 14-18° C (57-86° F) in order to avoid aromatic loss. The phase of evolution and stabilization of new wines is constantly followed both from an analytical and tasting point of view.
(OR AGING)
REFINING The current wine making and aging processes have contributed to exalt the two characteristics of D'Ambra wines: the delicacy of aromas and the taste which has always been defined as "almondy".
BOTTLING
The cold BOTTLING and the extreme cleanliness of the equipment, try to respect the delicacy of fragrances and the harmony of taste classic white wines of the island.