Healthy and beautiful grapes, the 2021 harvest overturns all predictions and amazes winegrowers

Considerably scarcer than average in terms of quantity, as was widely expected, but capable, in every region of Italy, of overcoming climatic excesses unscathed, providing healthy and beautiful grapes, balanced in terms of alcohol and acidity, and heralding great wines, from the Langhe to Tuscany, from Valpolicella to Campania, from Etna to Umbria. This is the 2021 vintage, in the words of the producers of the Belpaese, and in the reports of the most important territories, with the grapes of the late varieties at the end of fermentation, and the vast majority of wines already racked. At the end of a very long harvest, which has been extended in time, even within the individual territories, in order to follow the different ripening times, the feeling that more or less unites everyone is a sense of relief, after the scourge of the spring frosts and the drought that left the rows dry all summer, especially in Central and Southern Italy, before the beneficial rains in September, which accompanied the grapes in the last two weeks before harvesting, bringing balance to grapes that were not very generous in terms of yield, but very rich in content. It is difficult, if not impossible, to define it in a single adjective, but the most appropriate one is perhaps “surprising”, because few, until a couple of months ago, would have bet on such a tormented vintage, which began and continued under the worst auspices, and turned out to be, in potential, a vintage to remember.
Starting from the territories, positive signals are coming first of all from Alto Piemonte, where Andrea Fontana, president of the Consorzio Nebbioli Alto Piemonte, is taking stock, despite the clear impact of climate change: “the proximity to Monte Rosa and our geographical position still protect us, compared to other areas that are much more penalized from this point of view, which is why the grapes were nevertheless presented at the harvest with more than good quality indexes”. The result is a lower production than in 2020, with wine grape yields generally very low in all areas, but with excellent premises from the point of view of quality. The heterogeneity of the territory, however, does not allow us to draw a univocal balance of the harvest: There are areas in which the harvest returned a good production load with good acidity and alcohol content, others which, despite the spring frosts, unexpectedly produced good results, and areas in which there were drastic reductions in production due to the extraordinary climatic events recorded during the year which, in particular in some areas of the Vercelli, Biella and Novara areas, damaged between 45% and 70% of the vineyards.

Remaining in Piedmont, but going down to Monferrato, here too we have to reckon with a lower harvest in terms of numbers, but with a great qualitative profile, with healthy grapes and without any particular problems, despite the April frost having a negative effect on the overall balance of the crops. The analysis of the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato reveals a very satisfactory state of health of the grapes, while we are preparing to monitor and observe the progress of work in the cellar. For now, the healthy bunches, with an excellent balance between acidity and alcohol content, promise great surprises. Excellent quality, good alcohol content, thick grape skins: these are the characteristics that stand out from this year's harvest and also from a health point of view, the overall condition is optimal, mediating between those vineyards that suffered from negative climatic influences, including in some cases sunburn in the summer months, and those that did not suffer any problems whatsoever. “This excellent quality allows us to predict a high level of development in the cellar, in line with that of recent years. This year's great heat, however, alerts us to the future: season after season, climate change is increasingly perceptible, particularly in agriculture, and this should lead us to reflect on the issue of irrigation in the vineyard”, comments Filippo Mobrici, President of the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato.
When it comes to Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, “the big sparkling wine producers play a fundamental role, as the winemakers base their production on their demands”, Giacomo Pondini, director of the Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti Consortium, told WineNews. “The regulations limit yields to 100 quintals per hectare, but in the last 10 years this limit has never been approached. In 2020 it was decided to use 90 quintals, with 10 quintals set aside as a harvest reserve. This year, in the wake of the excellent commercial results, both in Italy and on foreign markets, it was decided to respect the limits laid down in the regulations, i.e. 100 quintals per hectare, plus 15 quintals in harvest reserve, which we already released a week ago. As well as in the winery, things went well in the vineyard too, with a good seasonal trend: despite the almost total absence of rainfall, the vines did not go into stress, and the dry climate ensured that the grapes were very healthy, and here they did not have to deal with spring frosts, downpours or hail”, concludes Giacomo Pondini.

In Franciacorta, the harvest has reserved a 25% drop in production for the classic method vintners. “Two factors were to blame: the frost during the night between 8 and 9 April and the hail that hit several vineyards in the area in July”, explains the President of the Consortium of Franciacorta, Silvano Brescianini. “The drought, on the other hand, has not been a problem, it is limited to the month of June, but normally with the lake nearby and the Val Camonica acting as a funnel, a few disturbances and some beneficial storms always arrive, unfortunately sometimes in the form of hail, and this is the only problem that afflicts us. The grapes, which have been in the cellar for a few weeks now, are absolutely healthy, they have not suffered from botrytis or other diseases, but it is still early to judge the vintage. Certainly, given the market trend, the scarcity of the vintage, added to the difficulties of 2017, creates some problems for us in the future”, concludes Brescianini.

Among the rows of Pinot Grigio DOC delle Venezie there is confirmation of the mid-summer trend, which anticipated more or less slight drops in production - from -5% in Friuli to -10/-15% in Veneto and the Autonomous Province of Trento - which, on the other hand, were accompanied at the end of the harvest by an excellent phytosanitary state of the grapes and excellent quality throughout the area. The climatic trend was decidedly erratic throughout the Northeast, characterized by extreme events, starting with the frost of 8/9 April, low temperatures in May (which delayed flowering until early June) and high temperatures in the following month, water stress and excessive heat in mid-August. But this did not compromise the health or the quality of the Pinot Grigio.

Not far away, in the vineyards of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco, from a meteorological point of view, 2021 was a cool year compared to the last 15 years, and for this reason, the development of the vines and consequently the ripening of the grapes arrived much later. In contrast to previous years, the summer months of June and July were less rainy, which had the advantage of less disease in the vineyard. The vines yielded healthy bunches, which suffered neither sunburn nor dehydration. The range of temperatures in August led to a good level of acidity, which is essential for obtaining sparkling wines with a marked freshness.

In Montalcino, Brunello has put into the cellar a harvest “slightly below average, I would not define it as an abundant year, but not a poor one either”, comments Michele Fontana, director of the Consorzio del Brunello. “The quality, on the other hand, is excellent: we can say that what we lost in quantity we made up for in truly high quality. The year was demanding from the meteorological point of view, with the April frosts that affected the lower areas of Montalcino, while the warm weather, but with some rain, in August, in some areas allowed a delayed ripening period with the achievement of excellent quality”, concludes the director of the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino.

The harvest for Montecucco, a small Tuscan appellation enclosed between Monte Amiata and the Tyrrhenian Sea, ended with an average decrease of 20-25% compared to 2020 due to the fluctuating trend of this production season, but the Sangiovese that arrived in the cellar is nothing short of excellent. “The grapes are few but excellent”, says Giuliano Guerrini, Collemassari’s historic agronomist. “In the appellation we are all happy with the chemical parameters of grape maturity observed even after the first racking, with regard to both Sangiovese and Vermentino, and we can hazard a quality profile very similar to the successful 2015 and 2019”. A year that was certainly difficult to manage, starting with the frost of 8-9 April, and then a drought that was anomalous, to say the least, and which, according to the figures, recorded only 204 mm of rain from January 2021 to 30 September, compared to the 20-year average of 450 mm. “We’re definitely moving towards Sangiovese wines that age for a long time”, adds the president of the Consorzio di Tutela, Giovan Battista Basile, “and it was a fabulous year for Vermentino as well. We are more than satisfied with the excellent phytosanitary condition of the grapes brought to the winery, no traces of downy mildew or powdery mildew, apart from a few very slight hints at the beginning of July, but these soon disappeared thanks to the very hot summer temperatures”.

In Apulia, the most important appellation, that of Primitivo di Manduria, has put a delayed but excellent 2021 harvest into the cellar. “The quality of the grapes immediately proved to be excellent from a phytosanitary point of view. Initially we thought it would be an uncertain year, due to the high temperatures in July and August, but in the end, technology and expertise saved the quality. The grapes were harvested first in the coastal areas, immediately afterwards in the saplings and finally in the Guyot or spurred cordon systems. I would like to thank all the winegrowers and workers who devoted body and soul to the grape harvest and technology in the vineyard. And thanks to our wineries who, with passion and skill, produce this extraordinary wine. Excellence that has conquered and is conquering important slices of the market”, comments Mauro di Maggio, president of the Consorzio del Primitivo di Manduria.

The harvest in Sicily, where temperatures reached peaks of 48 degrees, was saved by “the months of August and September, which guaranteed almost perfect ripening and very healthy grapes, but decidedly low quantities, just over 2020, the worst year in terms of quantity since 1848”, recalls Antonio Rallo, head of the Donnafugata brand and president of the Sicily Doc Consortium. “In the end, the vines got through the month of August, which put them to the test, with ease, giving us grapes that make us happy to taste. Overall, while Western Sicily was more generous, thanks in part to emergency irrigation, which the more structured wineries were able to use, Eastern Sicily saw a drop even compared to 2020, with Etna down 15/20%, and Pantelleria is not doing better”, Antonio Rallo concluded.

The tour of Italy among the wineries of the Belpaese, where the wines are now ready almost everywhere, begins with Camilla Lunelli, at the helm, together with her brothers Matteo, Marcello and Alessandro, of Cantine Ferrari, the reference point for all Trentodoc: “It was a year that made us worry”, she explains, “at least initially, because of some frost and a few too many hail storms, but in the end we arrived at a harvest that gave us great satisfaction. We started on 26 August, on average with the last few years, for a long and gradual harvest, which guaranteed us a good sugar level, acidity and therefore balanced and healthy grapes”.

In Trentino, at San Leonardo, the historical griffe headed by Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga, “a cold and very rainy start to the season put us to the test. Then, from the beginning of August, the weather really began to smile on us, and we experienced some wonderful days, with significant temperature differences of up to 18 degrees between night and day in September. We had a wonderful harvest”.

In neighboring South Tyrol, Hans Terz, the winemaker at the helm of San Michele Appiano, a reference cooperative for all Italian wine-growing, takes stock. “Although the weather made us suffer, it went very well. We had to stop and restart often, making careful selections, but I can now say that the white wines are very promising, as are the reds, even though the latest ones have just arrived in the cellar. Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon and Gewurztraminer are excellent. Quantitatively, it’s a “small” harvest, we don’t achieve an average yield of more than 80 quintals per hectare, which is not much for Alto Adige”, Terz concludes.

For Franco Adami, head of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene label, “in Valdobbiadene, we harvested later than usual, but the real problem was a slightly lower-than-average yield, but the quality was extraordinary. I have never seen, in 41 vintages, such a combination of acidity and such a high natural alcohol content: we expect an extraordinary Valdobbiadene. The only problem concerns flavescence dorée, a vine disease that has affected the best hillsides, and which worries us for two reasons: because we are losing our vines and because it takes four years to replant them and put them into production, during which time, if we don’t solve the problem, we could have enormous problems, precisely in the Unesco vineyards where the disease is spreading at a remarkable rate. The winegrowers of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene”, explains winegrower Franco Adami, “have complied with the need to ensure sustainable production, working the vineyards with an environmental impact close to zero, but this insect is a problem, and if the producers have made every effort to defend the community, perhaps it is time for the community to help the producers on the banks to replant the vines that have fallen ill”.

In the Colli Berici, in the province of Vicenza, for Anna De’ Besi of PuntoZero, “it was a very good and satisfying harvest, we are waiting to see the results of what we have in the cellar, but we are very happy. We make Garganega in purity, and this year was a very beautiful harvest, with these ripe, amber-coloured, enormous grapes that explode with their sugars and their aromas”.

In Valpolicella, on the other hand, according to Tiziano Castagnedi of Tenuta Sant’Antonio, “the weather has been good since spring, with normal rainfall. The harvest period between September and October was absolutely positive, with good weather and fine days, which allowed us to harvest perfectly healthy grapes. We had a drop of 25%, but we are not sorry about this and it will improve the quality of the 2021 harvest”. Silvia Allegrini, who together with Marilisa and Franco Allegrini leads one of the most important groups in the area, also has a positive opinion. “A harvest that gave us great satisfaction, despite the particular season, with some difficulties. Having the vineyards in the high hills and in very suitable areas helped a lot, and then a very careful and punctual management allowed us to bring very high quality grapes to the cellar, very rich, with a good acid content, so we are aiming for a vintage of great quality, especially with Corvina, which has a thick and crisp skin, which will give an important perspective to the drying wines, which need grapes with a substantial structure: it will be a great Amarone”.

Giuseppe Speri, the latest generation at the helm of the Amarone label, was also pleasantly surprised. According to him, “in Valpolicella, the 2021 vintage was a bit unbalanced in terms of climate, with a few too many atmospheric events in terms of hail, but for those who were not affected it was an extremely positive year. It may be due to the basin of the large lakes - Garda, Como and Maggiore - which always guarantees the availability of water, but the quantity was also correct. What amazed us, in the final months of ripening, was the extreme quality of the fruit. The temperature range in the last fortnight of August was significant, and this favored the development of thicker skin, which is essential for the drying process. For me”, adds Giuseppe Speri, the latest generation of the family, “it was the best harvest of the 15 that I have overseen, and many of our staff, who have been working with us for 40 years, say that they have never seen such beautiful grapes. Now there's work to be done in the cellar, but the most important work is done in the vineyard, and when faced with vintages like this our job, that of the oenologist, becomes really simple”.

The biggest surprises, perhaps, come from the Langhe, where Guido Conterno, historical producer of the Conterno Fantino brand, does not hide his enthusiasm and optimism. “For us it was a great harvest, the most interesting in recent years, both in terms of quantity and quality. In fifty years I’ve seen very few harvests like this: perfect, healthy grapes; the range of temperatures in September, with 25 degrees during the day and 10 at night, was a godsend for Nebbiolo; the right ripening, which allowed us to harvest the Nebbiolo in October, as in the past, and not in September, as happens in warmer years. The 2021 wines will certainly be great, and I would sign up for all vintages to be like this”. For Valentina Abbona, the commercial soul of Marchesi di Barolo, “the balance of the 2021 harvest is decidedly positive, despite the concerns at the beginning of the season, due to the frost and then the drought, as well as the hailstorms in July. In the vineyard, we had some nice surprises, due to the great commitment and careful work, parcel by parcel, which led to great results, in terms of quality, while the quantity is a bit lacking. Great richness and concentration of the grapes, which will translate into wines that we will welcome with great curiosity in a few years’ time”. Oscar Arrivabene, oenologist and general manager of Domenico Clerico, in Monforte d’Alba, draws up an initial balance sheet, recalling how “the season, in the southernmost area of Barolo, began with a snowy winter in its first part and a mild end, as did the beginning of spring. April saw a sudden return of cold weather, with temperatures close to zero on some nights, but fortunately without the dreaded late frosts. The summer, on average warm and with little rain, ensured that the grapes were very healthy and the wide temperature range between day and night, which had already begun on 17 August, ensured good, if not excellent, acidity in the musts. The harvest was late, as in classic vintages, and the overall picture bodes well for the longevity of future wines”.

In Liguria, on the hills of Luni, Diego Bosoni, at the helm of Lvnae, speaks of “a harmonious year, with no frost in the spring and no particular drought in the summer: nature was on our side and the grapes arrived at the harvest intact and with optimal ripeness”. In Emilia Romagna, as Gianmaria Cesari, at the helm of the winery founded by his father Umberto, recounts, it was not an easy year at all. “The frosts at the end of March and up to mid-April hit us hard, because the spring temperatures in February and March had brought the flowering forward. Then, despite the irrigation, the drought hit us hard, because from mid-May to 25 August not a drop fell, and the result is a 25% drop in production compared to 2020. The quality, however, is excellent, we have wonderful concentrations and levels of alcohol, it is a vintage that will be remembered for the longevity of its wines”, explains Gianmaria Cesari. “In terms of the health of the grapes, the only thing that continues to cause us some problems, but which is completely manageable, is the mal de l’esca. The greatest joy, on the other hand, comes from Merlese, a grape that has once again proved to be absolutely resilient, so we will continue to focus on it and plant it”.

Going down to Tuscany, to Bolgheri, for one of Italy’s most iconic wines, Masseto, king of auctions and the dream of every wine lover, the 2021 vintage was insidious and characterized everywhere by strong contrasts, making the phenomenon of climate change that now characterizes seasonal trends more concrete and tangible. “At Masseto, the great strength was undoubtedly the ability of the vines to respond, aided - as director Axel Heinz explains - by the resilience of the great terroirs: their characteristics made it possible to absorb climatic extremes and channel them, creating conditions that were indeed limited, but at the same time free of suffering. It is precisely from these premises that great wines can be born. Soil and microclimate proved to be fundamental in this critical weather situation. As far as the soil is concerned, the decisive factor was the presence of blue clay, a unique element of Masseto, capable of accumulating water reserves in the depths of the soil, which prevented excessive stress on the vines and made it possible to overcome the summer drought. The microclimate, characterised by sea breezes and mild temperatures, sheltered the vines from frost in spring, while in summer it provided the ventilation needed to overcome the excessive heat. The key to understanding this is once again the combination of man and terroir, which has made it possible to transform the pitfalls into exceptional strengths. The harvest, without a drop of rain from the first to the last day, began on 30 August and ended on 28 September, leaving the first sensations of a vintage of great style”.

In Montalcino, Emilia Nardi, owner of Tenute Silvio Nardi, explains that “thanks to agronomic preparation after the 2020 harvest, it was possible to have a precious water reserve, so that the plants could cope well with subsequent water shortages. The grapes harvested showed a surprising balance”.

Several companies of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico heard from WineNews, from which an absolutely positive balance of the 2021 harvest can be made, at least in qualitative terms, a fundamental aspect for continuing the growth process that has led to a +9% increase in turnover in the first eight months of 2021 over the same period in 2019, the conclusion of the Additional Geographical Mentions (Castellina, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Gaiole, Greve, Lamole, Montefioralle, Panzano, Radda, San Casciano, San Donato in Poggio, including the territories of Barberino Tavarnelle and Poggibonsi, and Vagliagli) and the strengthening of the value of the Gran Selezione, the qualitative summit of the denomination. In the sights of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico, led by Giovanni Manetti, there are now the Unesco recognition for the territory, and a new major project of agronomic and viticultural research as in the past “Chianti Classico 2000”.

Back between the rows and in the cellar, Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari Tenute - which, with its “parent company” in Chianti Classico, brings together 250 hectares of vineyards in the most important red territories of Tuscan wine, Campo al Mare in Bolgheri, Tenuta di Nozzole and Tenute del Cabreo in Chianti Classico, La Fuga in Montalcino, Torcalvano in Montepulciano and Vigne a Porrona in Maremma - is not afraid to speak explicitly of a vintage of great quality. “The quality of the grapes harvested is the distinguishing feature of this vintage, which was perfect in terms of respecting the timing of the vine, working methods and wine-growing planning”, said President Giovanni Folonari. “The extreme climatic events of the spring, in the initial phase of ripening, only affected the reduction of the quantity produced, not its quality. 2021 will therefore be an excellent year, with interesting wines of great harmony and elegance”. At the end of the grape ripening process, the bunches were perfectly healthy and the plants were in a good vegetative state, even if with a more limited productive load compared to the previous year. The early spring frosts partially thinned out the grapes, but left the quality intact. The effects of climate change will therefore only be reflected in a drop in production, in line with the national figure. On the other hand, the high summer temperatures, accompanied by a severe drought, did not interfere with the ripening process and did not change the balance of the product.

Sergio Zingarelli, owner of one of Chianti Classico's benchmark estates, Rocca delle Macìe, recalls “a very cold and rather rainy winter, which allowed us to safeguard water resources, and this helped us get through a fairly hot and very dry summer season. We brought a very healthy product to the winery, and the results of the first racking are quite encouraging. As a company, we went against the tide, because we had a slightly higher production than in 2020, which was in any case decidedly poor. The quality, on the other hand, is decidedly good, difficult to compare to others, perhaps to the 2020 itself, but this one really has been through a lot. The weather conditions have been adverse, from frost to hail, yet the Sangiovese has been able to resist, especially in the heat of July, when there was no shortage of fairly cool nights, which has prevented stress on the vines”. At Castello di Brolio, still in Chianti Classico, it was a complex year due to the problems of frost and drought. Nonetheless, “the white grapes were excellent in terms of both quality and quantity”, explains Francesco Ricasoli. “The Sangiovese harvest gave smaller quantities but to the benefit of quality, with smaller bunch sizes reminiscent of 2017, at the same time with more colour, intensity of aromas and greater concentration”.

In Radda in Chianti, for Martino Manetti, head of Montevertine, the brand that produces the legendary pure Sangiovese wine Le Pergole Torte, “it was a better harvest than we expected, we lost 15% of the grapes compared to last year, but the quality is excellent, we didn't throw away a single bunch. We didn't expect this, because it was a climatically difficult year, with the April frost that caused us to lose quantity, and then the dry and torrid summer, without rain from June to September, with peaks of 40 degrees in Radda in August. At the end of August, we had very few grapes and small berries, then the powerful downpours in September were absorbed by the vines, and something changed, squaring the circle, and the results in the end are very good, leaving me happy. A harvest of substance, with a rather high alcohol level for our parameters, but with the usual elegance that we always want to find in our grapes”.

Between Umbria and Lazio, with a watchful eye on Montalcino, where the Cotarella family owns Le Macioche, Enrica Cotarella describes a “similar vintage both in the area between Umbria and Lazio and in Tuscany, in Montalcino. Without a doubt, it was a year that tended to be hot, but that allowed us to bring a smaller quantity of product to the winery, but of high quality. We are happy with the trend, but we missed the rain that, especially in the area between Umbria and Lazio, we have not seen since April, while in Montalcino there was some rain. The older vines, which are able to go deeper, were able to better withstand a substantially hot year”.

In Umbria, Chiara Lungarotti, managing director of the historical winery in Torgiano, speaks of “finished fermentation and an excellent product, despite the very difficult year, which saw first the April frost and then drought with crazy temperatures. In the end, however, we are very happy with the product in the cellar. From a quantitative point of view, especially in Umbria, we were particularly penalised, both by the frost and the drought. The white grapes responded surprisingly well, both Vermentino and Grechetto, but we are also very happy with the Sangiovese”.

In the neighboring Marche region, Alberto Mazzoni, director of the Istituto Marchigiano di Tutela Vino, sees the 2021 grape harvest as “a definitely positive result, because the rains in August put a system that was technically quite heavy back on track. We can count on a drop in production of around 12-15%, with a patchy trend, because there are areas where 200 ml of water fell and others where just 50 ml fell. Obviously, the early-ripening vines suffered the most, but going forward with Verdicchio, Rosso Piceno, Offida and Bianchello we obtained generally good products. We remember the 2014 vintage, which was droughty, like this year, but which we then rediscovered to be a great vintage: the glass is half full. It will be a year to remember, perhaps not for everyone, also because - Mazzoni recalls - the greatest satisfaction is not so much the harvest, as the recovery of the market: it is useless to think about the trend in the vineyard if there is no market. Since, on the other hand, we are doing well, and there are some denominations that are under stock, it is good that this year is a propaedeutic year for a great relaunch of wine-growing in the Marche”.

For Marina Cvetic, head of the Masciarelli label in San Martino sulla Marrucina, in the heart of wine-producing Abruzzo, “it was a special year, unlike any other. We lived for 3-4 months with an extreme drought, with peaks of 42 degrees for a month and a half, and the suffering vines created a reduction in quantity, in some plots even 40-50%. My oenologist says that this year there are no grapes, but the ones that are there are 'seven-star', which means they are of the highest quality and very healthy. It is a great joy to look at them, photograph them and experience the days of a beautiful September and an equally wonderful autumn, which has brought us great satisfaction. I am a big fan of Montepulciano, sooner or later I will tattoo it, because it is my mood, I live according to the mood of Montepulciano. Even the whites produced less, guaranteeing concentration and richness, but the satisfactions are many, coming from Malvasia and Pecorino, while Trebbiano suffered from too much heat, and we will also have some spectacular Cerasuolo”.

Moving towards the coast, and then to the province of Pescara, Jarno Trulli, a former Formula 1 driver who has been in the world of wine for years with Podere Castorani, speaks of “an excellent harvest, we started very early with the whites, because we suffered a bit from the drought, but fortunately we waited for the reds, and the arrival of the cool weather and rain gave vigor to the vines, which started off again quite well. In terms of quality, we can’t complain at all, while the quantity is lower than average, due to the strong heat, but this doesn't scare us as much, because our main objective is to produce high-end, quality wines”.

In the small but surprising region of Molise, the point of reference is Alessio Di Majo Norante, who recalls how there are still “four fermenters in operation at the winery, because with the late grapes we finished the harvest on the Day of the Saints, but in any case we consider ourselves lucky, because despite the great heat - from which we defended ourselves thanks to the water reserves in our subsoil - the harvest was very good, also because we did not have the havoc caused by the water bombs. At the beginning the grapes were a bit stuck, but by mid-October they had become extraordinary. However, I noticed lighter grapes, especially for Aglianico and Greco, with bunches that weighed an average of 20% less. I was particularly surprised by the Tintilia, Aglianico and Montepulciano, which gave impressive colours to our wines”.

Among the griffes of Puglia, Leone De Castris, benchmark of rosé wines for the Region, experienced one of the longest and hottest harvests ever seen. “The torrid heat of July and August”, according to a note from the company, “put both young and old vines to the test. Despite everything, an optimal and homogeneous degree of ripening was achieved in all the estates. We can consider ourselves fully satisfied with the sanitary conditions and the polyphenolic potential of the grapes, which, combined with the use of the latest generation of winemaking equipment, will produce quality wines that, in keeping with the winery’s philosophy, aim to enhance the aromatic heritage and distinctive character of our indigenous grape varieties”.

In Sardinia, Massimo Ruggero, the managing director of Gallura-based Siddùra, says that the spring frosts were present but contained: “thanks to the specific microclimate of the valley, production suffered a slight loss compared to the previous year, the health situation is regular and in the end the production level was good, almost equal to that of 2020”.

In Sicily, in the Etna area, it has been a torrid and dry summer, and Vincenzo Lo Mauro, director of the Passopisciaro winery, has helped the vines with emergency irrigation at night. “The harvest of the Chardonnay grapes started early just after mid-August. We brought perfect, fragrant grapes to the cellar which will produce a more intense and structured wine. For the reds, we are hoping for a drop in temperature and rainfall, which will allow us to achieve the right balance of ripeness”.

Even from the observatory of Alessio Planeta, the head of the winery that has played a leading role in the Sicilian wine renaissance, the 2021 harvest is to be counted among “good vintages, with heat that, throughout the season, apart from a few truly exceptional peaks, was not so excessive. Production was higher than in 2020, which was a very small year, but with significant differences between one territory and another. In Western Sicily the best results were achieved, with beautiful, healthy grapes, and a slight increase over last year. In south-eastern Sicily, the wines that are being produced in Noto are very good, while Vittoria shows a slight drop, and Etna gave us quite a bit of trouble, at least until October, when the rains saved a difficult year, harvested just before the hurricane that hit Catania. It’s a harvest - concludes Alessio Planeta - that leaves us truly satisfied, especially for the results of the Menfi reds, Nero d'Avola di Noto and the native white varieties, Grecanico and Grillo above all, while the Etna reds will give us a richer, more concentrated version of themselves, in flavour and colour”.

Sofia Ponzini, head of Tenute Bosco, also on the slopes of Etna, says that “it was an excellent year, which gives us confidence, thanks to the quality of the grapes despite the torrid heat in Sicily, just think of the peaks of 48 degrees in Syracuse. It’s not a great year like 2020, but it's an interesting one nonetheless. On Etna, the harvest usually begins in the second half of October, and despite the heat, the period was the same, with gradual phenological maturation and slightly lower yields, even if the grapes from the older vineyards did not undergo any changes”.

Luca D’Attoma, a self-employed producer with Duemani and consultant to important Italian wine producers such as Tua Rita, Poggio al Tesoro, San Polo, Tolaini, Tenute Lunelli and Monte delle Vigne, has a different and much broader point of view. “It was a very long harvest, which began with some difficulties, because there were some early days dictated by the weather and the heat that never let up on the vineyards, making it difficult, especially in Central and Southern Italy, for the early varieties. In the North, the situation was completely different, with the rains lengthening the ripening cycles, while the recovery of good weather, with heat and light, meant that the harvest was still within the standard timeframe, if not with some delay, which means slower ripening. The quantity was more than sufficient, even if the yields were a little lower than normal throughout the country, but nonetheless wines of quality, very expressive, especially among the reds, starting with Tuscany, which started with a little more difficulty but in the end gave us great extractions and great wines. I cannot say the same about Piedmont, except in the Barbera area, in the Monferrato zone, with extraordinary Barberas in terms of alcohol, intense colour and tannic extraction. As I said, the harvests have been long, especially in the southern regions, and I am thinking of Irpinia, where I work, with the harvest still in its final stages with Aglianico: there the weather has been a little more inclement, with continuous rain, but the grapes are still holding up. The ripening of the native whites, for which Irpinia is famous everywhere, is excellent, and the production is of exceptional value, as noted by critics and the market, while Aglianico, the king of the South, which produces wines with great ageing potential, comparable to Nebbiolo, is producing extraordinary results, which gives us hope for great wines”.