“Tuscany” and “wine” are almost synonymous at times, and in the collective imagination, it’s usually Chianti that springs to mind first. But up north, near the Ligurian border, winemaking traditions in the province of Lucca have been documented since at least the 15th century. Workers have been cultivating and collecting grapes since even before then, and the vendemmia — the harvest — has long been an activity that binds families and communities together.

I grew up in a village amid the rolling hills of Lucca whose name derives from the Italian adjective for "dry". Here, the art of grape harvesting, more than any holiday or celebration, is the quintessential familial ritual. Multiple generations gather and work hand-in-hand to create a local, truly organic nectar to be served at the everyday dining table, alongside homemade bread and olive oil.