Klean Voices: La Vendemmia

Klean Voices contributor Henry Hoogenveen shares how a time-honored end-of-summer tradition in Italy is returning to the days of being single-use free.

In Italy, September is the month of the grape harvest or as the Italians like to call it: La Vendemmia. The exact timing of this event is hard to predict as the harvesting conditions and the grapes have to be just right before it can begin.

When the grapes hit peak ripeness and the sun is shining, La Vendemmia commences. This summer’s growing season was fantastic so vintners across the country decided to start the harvest a little earlier than in previous years.

In our house, La Vendemmia is a social event. Family and friends from all over are invited to help pick the grapes and after days of hard work and lots of laughing under the Mediterranean sun, there is always a feast to be had in celebration of a successful harvest.

A large table is filled with delicious food and even tastier wine for all to enjoy. In the past, we used plastic plates, forks, and cups during the celebration. Times have changed and today we use Klean Kanteen bottles and tumblers that keep our wine and water perfectly chilled. Instead of plastic plates we use stainless steel thali dishes and silverware. The transition away from plastic shows our dedication to protecting the environment that has provided us so much and inspires all our friends and family to make a plastic-free shift in their own lives.

Klean Voices contributor Henry Hoogenveen is a passionate advocate for the outdoors and represents Klean Kanteen in Europe. As such, he shares events, information, trends and happenings from across the ocean right here on the Klean Blog.