Cavazza, Domizio
La Lotta Contro La Tignola Dell'Uva
1891, Milano - Piacenza - Bologna, Italia Agricola - Giornale Di Agricoltura
Important study on the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana), a serious and persistent viticultural pest. Domizio Cavazza, the legendary founder of the Cooperativa Produttori del Barbaresco, was a leading Italian agronomist and viticulturist deeply engaged in research on vineyard diseases.
This booklet is one of the earliest detailed treatments of the tignola pest in Italian viticulture. It describes preventive and curative methods, manual removal, chemical treatments, and careful timing of interventions, some of the earliest forms of integrated pest management. Cavazza also experimented at the Fontanafredda estate of Count Mirafiore, of royal lineage. The work includes remarkable illustrations: a flamethrower used against the pest, advice on scorching eggs with boiling water, warnings against fraudulent powders sold to vintners, and striking color plates of grapes before and after infestation. Cavazza concludes by recommending the manual destruction of larvae with pliers, and discourages shooting birds in vineyards, noting their usefulness as natural allies.
Written in Cavazza’s clear and practical style, the booklet stands alongside his writings on phylloxera and mildew as a foundational work in Italian plant protection history. It includes one chromolithographic plate (inserted after p. 12) depicting the insect and its effects, and five in-text woodcut illustrations of tools and procedures.]
Domizio Cavazza was not only the father of Barbaresco but also a hands-on entomologist with a flair for dramatic visuals. A flamethrower against grape pests? We’re in. In this treaty entomology meets fieldwork, from a time when the wine world was being reshaped by science.
Pp. 22, 1 inserted plate at 12-13, [1].
Original light green printed wrappers. Small steel engravings in the text. Cromo-lithographed plate outside the pagination. Paper lightly toned; an excellent copy.
Dimensions (inches): 8 x 5.5 x 1/4
As director of the Royal Enological School of Alba, Cavazza purchased the Barbaresco castle with vineyards in the Pora and Ovello areas, where he founded the Cantine Sociali di Barbaresco. This marked the beginning of his pivotal work to raise the quality of Barbaresco wines. In 1894, Cavazza formally established Barbaresco’s first cooperative, the Cantine Sociali, recognizing that Nebbiolo from Barbaresco was distinct from Barolo and reflecting this on labels for the first time. The cooperative was dissolved in 1920 under fascist rule but was revived in 1958 as the Produttori del Barbaresco.
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