THE LAST DAYS OF AUGUST OPENED THE FLOODGATES TO THE HARVEST, ALLOWING A MORE ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THE 2023 VINTAGE TO BE DRAWN, DATA IN HAND.
Unfortunately, the vineyards are giving us a bleaker picture than the premises. To the conspicuous drop in production, due to the June spread of Downy mildew, were added the violent hailstorms of August, which repeatedly hit vineyards in the North and Central-South. The damage count speaks for itself: the Italian vineyard will experience a heavy drop in quantity, with only 43/44 million hl produced, compared to 49/50 million in a typical vintage.
The greatest losses are in Veneto (in some areas of Prosecco), Abruzzo (Montepulciano), Puglia (Primitivo) and Basilicata (Aglianico). Also tragic is the situation for organically managed vineyards, which, in some cases, will see an 80 percent drop compared to a regular year. Tuscany does not smile either, where estimates speak of a collapse compared to the 2020 vintage, considered the most inauspicious in recent decades. Desperate is the picture for organic Vermentino and Sangiovese grapes (in the Chianti and Chianti Classico DOCG areas), for which – in certain areas – the harvest risks being completely compromised.