Bolgheri, no permanent damage due to bad weather, except in a very small area, the harvest is safe

One vineyard, or a few vineyards, do not make a territory. Similarly, the quality of a specific parcel of land does not, alone, reflect the entire quality of a denomination, as wine critics and journalists who deal with wine know very well and often emphasize. Damage, even very serious - that has affected some vineyards and, unfortunately, perhaps devastating for the individual producers - must be reported, when necessary, in a balanced manner, without too much sensationalism, because in some cases one would risk transforming a rain storm into an even more harmful word storm. The same is also true of generalized or over simplified harvest forecasts for large areas, or Regional areas, which are a waste of time and liable to being sensationally denied, when the grapes are actually in the cellar. It is the same for weather, forecasts concerning a small part of the territory, do not reflect the general situation in a larger area. Like Bolgheri, for instance, which extends from the Maremma hills to the Tyrrhenian Sea, and except for some vineyards heavily damaged by the recent rain storm (a phenomenon, unfortunately, that occurs quite frequently in many territories, and that we deliberately are not mentioning), and the harvest substantially completed, has not suffered any great damage, fortunately, neither structural nor to the 2024 production (a vintage, moreover, to simplify, “hot”). Instead, reports by various National and International newspapers, media and social media showed sensational videos and photos.
“On the evening of September 23rd, in part of the Bolgheri DOC area, from the Fossa di Bolgheri towards Castagneto Carducci, a sudden, heavy rainfall occurred resulting in 200 mm of rain within two hours and causing a flash flood. The water had already flowed out within the early morning, and caused no permanent damage, except in a somewhat limited area, where unfortunately the force of the water had an impact on the vineyards. At the moment, controls on the situation are underway, and it would seem that no significant damage was done, except, unfortunately, in the case of some producers. The harvest is now in its final phase, and we are waiting for the next few days, when good weather is expected, to finish harvesting the grapes. We would like to express that we are close to the producers who had damage to their vineyards. We would also like to thank the Civil Protection and local authorities for their timely interventions and their fundamental support in managing the emergency. The images circulating on social media made us fear the worst, but thanks to their interventions, the situation is now under control”, Albiera Antinori, president of the Consorzio DOC Bolgheri, commented in a note. Perhaps, her note, if people had not shouted about the “apocalypse of the territory”, would have been superfluous, but instead has become necessary.