After the harvest

After the last operations of the grape harvest, the work was not over. The cellar became the beating heart of community life and family traditions.

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The light wine, a companion at work

After pressing in the winepress, the must was poured into large containers where it fermented for several days. This produced a very light wine, which in summer was served as a refreshing drink for the workers in the fields, while the best wine was served at lunch time.

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Offerings to the parish

Once fermentation was complete, the harvested grapes were often trodden by foot. The cellar was visited by parish envoys who collected must as an offering for the wine used during Holy Masses.

Everyone gave a little must, but when the representative of the Confraternity of San Vito arrived, the donation was far more generous.

It was tradition that the envoys brought small holy cards of the saint, called “Santilli”. These were fixed to the front of the barrels—known as “Bottoni” for their size—as a sign of protection and as a good omen for the success of the wine.

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The grape pomace and its second life

The grape pomace was carried to the rooftop to dry in the sun for several days.

After several siftings, the seeds were separated:

one part was used as feed for poultry, which almost every family raised;

the other part was collected in sacks and sold on the mainland, where it was used in the fields of perfume-making, medicine, and soap production.

The grape stalks were instead used in wood-fired kitchens to feed the fire.

From the pomace, a light and highly flammable charcoal was also obtained, used to light the braciere: a small open stove that not only heated the home, but also warmed the bed before sleeping and dried small pieces of laundry.

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A cycle that united the community

Every by-product of the harvest had a purpose. From oil mills to flour mills to bakeries, the whole community benefited from that work.

The grape harvest was not only about producing wine, but also a collective ritual of circular economy avant la lettre, teaching the value of reuse and sharing.

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“Those were times when nothing was thrown away: every part of the grape had its destiny. And as children, we learned that work and solidarity held the community together.”

— Giuseppe

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