Cultivating the vineyards in Cinque Terre is also maintaining the territory.
Pruning can begin when the vines have no leaves left, it depends on the characteristics of the season: it begins between the end of october and the beginning of novembre.
Often it is necessary to tighten the wires (pergolo) that hold up the vines. This is a very arcaic procedure: one end of the wire is galvanized iron affixed to the stone wall (muretto a secco). The other end of the wire is attached with a copper wire (interlaced with the main galvanized iron wire to a stone on the ground. It is then reinforced with other stones added on top of it. During these activities many reeds that support the vine stalks, need to be replaced because they get broken. This is done using the reeds that are picked directly at the stream of Riomaggiore. (rio).
Cleaning and upkeep of the vineyard is an ongoing process. Weeds must be eradicated from the stone walls and from the soil. Subsequently weeds and pruned vine stalks, must be gathered in heaps which will subsequntly taken away in the same baskets used during the grape-harvesting.
Sometimes stone walls must also be reconstructed as well. Then the vine stalks have to be tied to the web of iron wire structures.
