THE 2024 HARVEST, WHICH HAS JUST BEGUN IN OUR VINEYARDS WITH THE PICKING OF VERMENTINO GRAPES DESTINED FOR SPARKLING WINE BASE IN MAREMMA , LOOKS QUITE PROMISING IN TERMS OF BOTH QUALITY AND QUANTITY. THE LATTER FIGURE, WHILE STILL BELOW AVERAGE DUE TO THE HOT AND DRY SEASON IN SOME AREAS, IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THAT OF 2023 DECIMATED BY AN UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK OF DOWNY MILDEW.
Let’s see what the picture is from the considerations of Piccini Group technicians:
Pasquale Presutto
The season started in spring with very good prospects; spring rains created sufficient reserves to face summer without suffering water stress. The flowering phase developed regularly and, thanks to dry weather in June, we had no major problems with fungal diseases. Some problems, especially in Maremma, came from the phase of prolonged high temperatures in July/August, the veraison on the reds was rather uneven, especially for Sangiovese, while Vermentino being earlier did not suffer any problems in this regard. The international varieties did well, proceeding in the final stage of ripening helped by the nighttime temperature range, which since mid-August has returned rather regularly. As far as Chianti Classico is concerned, having made the necessary precautions (the harvest is expected between late September and early October), it looks like one of the best in recent decades. The Sangiovese has benefited from the dry and warm weather, with some light summer rains at the right time, the delayed stripping phase has avoided burns on the clusters, which look healthy and in the right quantity. The night temperatures that have dropped considerably since mid-August will allow a perfect technical ripening of the grapes, if no nefarious weather phenomena intervene, we could have a Chianti Classico vintage to remember for a long time.
Alessandro Barabesi
In this year characterized by very high temperatures and prolonged drought, Etna still stands out for its peculiarities that make it “an island within an island,” thanks to its unique pedoclimatic characteristics. As I anticipate above, Sicily has been plagued by drought this 2024, very high temperatures and absence of rainfall for more than 8 months have caused considerable damage to agriculture in the eastern part of the island, which has suffered as it has not been remembered in a long time. The Etna appellation, which is largely developed on the northern slope of the volcano, has responded best to the difficulties thanks mainly to the following characteristics:
– Altitude of the vineyards between 600 and 900 mt. Above sea level, resulting in a wide temperature range in summer.
– Reserves of water in the deep layers of soil, a consequence of melting snow present at high altitudes until late June.
Both white (Carricante) and red (Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio) grapes look healthy and in fair quantity, we will start harvesting the grapes dedicated to the sparkling wine base in early September, then continue with Whites and grapes destined for Etna Rosé in the second week of September and close with the reds between late September and early October. As for the Aglianico del Vulture appellation, drought has hit hard, even in Basilicata the last significant rains were in February. In a stressful situation, the vine naturally tends to prioritize survival at the expense of the fruit, producing smaller clusters and in smaller quantities.
So we will definitely have a more limited production, the grapes could benefit from the rains in September to complete a regular ripening. In fact, Aglianico is the later ripening variety grown in Italy, normally harvested between late October and early November, so there may still be room for recovery to have a quality vintage, albeit limited in quality.