These are busy days for Giovanni Stival. "We are satisfied,"  says Giovanni, "it's been years since Mother Nature blessed us with such grapes. Just look at this cluster of Glera (Prosecco): it's love at first sight. The unusual weather conditions produced unexpected results. The last days of summer were so hot the grapes started to wither on the vines, to produce a grape of the very highest quality. The vendemmia is the conclusion of a year's work; and as we have to put our trust in Mother Nature, it's hard to predict what the outcome will be. There's Mother Nature, the grapes, and the skill of the winemaker, who gets the best result thanks to the knowledge handed down from generation to generation. When we have a high quality harvest like this year, excellent results are guaranteed." At the time of going to press, the winery had harvested the white grape varieties, and had just started harvesting the red. "The characteristics of the white grapes are amazing, excellent in terms of flavor, acidity, and fragrance. We mentioned Mother Nature, but she had some help from the human hand, with all the work we did in the vineyards. I must thank the expert winemakers who work with us, the Conegliano laboratory has been collaborating with us for many years offering advice, and sharing our enthusiasm in the choices we made," says Giovanni Stival. The latest news on the red grape vendemmia in the next issue.