manimatte​

Bellinzona, year 2021: we are offered the opportunity to manage a hectare of hillside vineyard nearby. The perfect chance to try to realise an idea that had already been swirling in our minds: a winemaking project that starts from the land, to promote a new way of making wine in our region, in collaboration and with the utmost respect for nature.

This goes hand in hand with the aim of preserving the traditional 'heroic vineyards' on terraced land in the Bellinzonese, which require manual cultivation. Manimatte was born from the dream of Anna and Luca, starting from one hectare of vineyard; in 2024, Joel and Claudia joined the team to manage around three hectares. We are converting viticulture and winemaking from conventional agriculture to the cultivation of disease-resistant grape varieties (PIWI), using sustainable practices (organic farming, minimal treatments, use of plant extracts and essential oils, soil care, promoting biodiversity). Johanniter, Satin noir, Isabella, Souvignier gris… and more than ten other resistant varieties that we planted in the spring of 2024 allow us to experiment in the vineyard and in the cellar. We produce wines from the harvested grapes following the same philosophy, with minimal intervention. This includes spontaneous fermentation using the indigenous yeasts from the grapes themselves. The ultimate goal of Manimatte is to create a regenerative agricultural network in the Canton of Ticino that preserves the landscape heritage, promotes biodiversity, and supports the well-being of people.