Up stream , the woods extend up to 900m above sea level on the Pizzorne sandstone rock. Upstream is the vast plain of Capannori.

We tread the Tuscan land and find ourselves at number 7 di Valgiano street in Valgiano, in the district of Lucca.

Dr. Petrilli tells us that the first meeting with Martignani company was favoured in 1997 from the purchase of a used Martignani-KWH Mist Blower of the Whirlwind B612 600 l trailer version.

Since then, other meetings have taken place leading the Valgiano estate to equip itself, in the following years, with both a trailer and 3P Mounted model .

The Valgiano estate is an organic farm which adopts biodynamic agricultural systems.

Its vineyards lie on a terrace of pebbles and clay in Alberese. The Sangiovese is preferably cultivated along the crest of Alberese due to the soil which allows it to maintain aromaticity as well as a good structure.On the clayey surface Merlot is cultivated due to its ability to maintain delicacy and elegance even on clay; and, on the sandy pebbles of sandstone, only Syrah can give structure as well as fragrance.

All the treatments are carried out on alternate rows (every two rows) and state volumes/ha, during the season, from 100 to 200 l/ha for both fungicide and insecticide treatments.

The entire vineyard surface is covered in about 2 days utilizing both the Mist Blowers, considering that the vineyards are divided into several distant plots and in some cases with considerable slopes.

The Martignani Mist Blowers lend themselves very well to the treatments of the plant as it is indispensable to offer an excellent coverage of the vegetation even in the periods of highest growth in order to guarantee the maximum efficiency of the operation.

Dr. Petrilli tells us lastly that amongst the numerous advantages noted in the last 10 years of use, besides minimal maintenance and assistance, it was possible to ascertain great affordability even during years of adverse weather conditions, thus arriving at harvest with a healthy product, without disease and residual chemicals.

We, ourselves add the fact that we have found traces of the Valgiano Estate in several virtual places, and not only on paper.

• This Book Will Change Your Life by Benrik (Paperback – Oct 28, 2003)
• The Global Encyclopedia of Wine, Updated Edition (includes CD-ROM) by Peter Forrestal (Hardcover – Oct 15, 2001)
• Anthony Dias Blue’s Pocket Guide to Wine 2006 (Anthony Dias Blue’s Guides) by Anthony Dias Blue (Paperback – Sep 20, 2005)
• Central Italy: The Collected Traveler: Tuscany and Umbria by Barrie Kerper (Paperback – Sep 26, 2000)
• Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating: How to Choose the Best Bread, Cheeses, Olive Oil, Pasta, Chocolate, and Much More by Ari Weinzweig (Hardcover – Nov 14, 2003)
• Wine Encyclopedia by Catherine Fallis, James Lawther, Maureen Ashley, and Patrick Farrell (Paperback – Oct 2002)

As for the Internet, only the search engine Googlecertifies and lists the presence of 10,400 pages of its index which deal with the Valgiano estate.

It gives us pleasure to end this brief article with the Valgiano estate’s 2003 chart, taken from an online site ,which is a final explanatory summary.

Vine: Sangiovese 60%, Syrah 20%, Merlot 20%
Denomination: Tenuta di Valgiano
Colour: red
Fragrance: gives an elegant and fine aroma to the nose. Fragrant aromas of mature fruit, hints of spice and minerals and an Intense and persistent bouquet.

Taste: a catchy taste on the palatecombined with a pleasant fruity sweetness. The structure develops with a deep texture of soft, mature tannins which ensure the duration of a delicious and pleasurable after taste.

The Randi Farms is situated in the municipality of Fusignano (Ravenna) and is managed by Dr. Massimo Randi with the collaboration of his brother Denis and father Luigi.

The vocation of the farm is decidedly viticultural, being about 25 hectares of vineyards, although other cultivation such as peach trees, wheat and beetrootin smaller quantities are not left out.

The technical approach of “Martignani” Electrostatic-Mist Blowers was integrated some time ago following a professional conference between Dr. Randi and Dr. Bellettini, the latter presently being an agricultural technician (Agronomist) and manager of the Martignani srl Italian counting house.

The contactwas concretised in the spring of 2005 with the purchase of the Mod. Whirlwind B-612 TURBO 2 Pneumatic Mist Bower with Electrostatic charged droplets.

At first the insecticide treatments were carried out by Luigi. It was then Dr. Massimo who dealt with thephytosanitary management of the family vineyards, personally carrying out the defence operations on board a tractor..

We have now come to the fourth season using the Martignani Mist Blower and Dr. Massimo tells us about the convenience of having invested in this equipment and how we have reached the optimization of the productive processes.

At the speed of 8,3 Km/h with a volume/ha of 200 litres, 7,5 ha are treatedin the morning and7,5 ha in the afternoon while the remaining hectares are completed the following day.

Previously, with a conventional atomizer (or Air Blast Sprayer) distributing 600 litres/ha, several refuelling and a total of 4-5 days of time were required.

Only some treatments , such as those against moth infestations of the grape-vines, are carried out at a higher volume (400 l/ha), while the remaining, and larger part, of the field is treated at 200 l/ha.

In these 4 seasons,the Randi family has certainly optimized the technical management of the vineyard in the best possible way, saving tons of water, hours of manpower and above all 20% of chemical product (or active ingredient) used for both contact and systemic chemicals, in every treatment.

Above all, they have reduced the phytosanitary defence operations to only 2 days, enabling them to concentrate and aim the remaining hours of manpower at other activity within the company.

Finally, it gives us great pleasure to report that, for some years, the Randi company has been part of the Bagnacavallo consortium which is the producer and distributor of the well known “Burson” (http://www.vinography.com/archives/2004/07/2000_burson_rosso_ravenna_cons.html ) wine obtained from “Longanesi” grapes.

For further information on the Randi company, visit www.randivini.it and/or send an email to info@randivini.it