Cellar re lu miero

The cellar near Michele Panno's house is a corner dedicated to wine production and processing. It is privately owned but open to external visits during events organized by Oscata inVita and dedicated to the grape harvest. It contains various tools, both modern and ancient, which are still used for small-scale family production, a ritual that some local families continue to maintain.

"I remember those men bent under the gentle weight of the vats — writes Michele Panno — Those wooden containers, when full of grapes and must, became lighter than the sins in the conscience of a thief or a hardened blasphemer. In the cellar awaited the large vat, wet and rewetted to make the staves tighten perfectly and not spill a single drop of the sweet must it was to hold. That vat had to serve as a measurer, a sort of account of the year. Last year it was full to the last hoop, this year it is a handbreadth lower. In return, the grapes are as sweet as manna! It will be an exceptional year! The grape harvest festival was prepared day by day throughout the year. It started in December when the vineyard was cleared (the canes and poles were removed to prevent them from rotting during the winter), continued in January and February, the time for pruning and the chirping of scissors, and then gradually with deep hoeing when the vines were loosened to remove superficial roots that would have weakened them, with the replacement of canes and poles 'nzppà re canne', and with the tying of the vine tops”.

Oscata inVita promotes the Rural Kitchens by celebrating the grape harvest event and opening the old cellars to visitors.