Between a climatically good year and the economic crisis, Chianti ready for the 2020 harvest

The grape is there, it is healthy and beautiful, for the climatic conditions, the vintage was good, and we can hope for a good harvest. However, Coronavirus has put companies in difficulty, which are without money and are only moving forward with their strength: this, in short, the situation of the Chianti cellars, among the most famous Italian wine territories in the world, which pulls the difficult and unpredictable vintage row, in the words of the President of the Consortium Giovanni Busi. Which highlights how, even if of low quantity, the harvest will be good in terms of quality: “As a Consortium - he observes - we have approved a reduction in the production of 20% because, given the economic moment we are going through, with a closed Horeca channel that is starting again slightly, it is clear that we have a decrease in sales, and therefore we have tried to prevent stock redundancies that would lead to a reduction in the price on the market. The price of Chianti is between 110 and 130 euros per hectolitre, and the aim is to keep it on the market”. The 20% reduction in the production, adopted also in order to have a higher quality product, goes beyond the -15% indicated by the Ministry for the so-called “green harvest”, and on which agreement was reached in the State-Regions Conference. “But our reduction is on the potential - specifies the president of the Chianti Wine Consortium - while the proposal of the Ministry is different. In order to qualify for reimbursement companies must reduce production yields by at least 15% compared to the average of the last 5 years. “If there are farms that have a production lower than the potential - says Busi - to access the benefits of “green harvesting” they will have to reduce it by a further 15% on their trend. We'll have to see if it’s worthwhile for the farms or not: let’s wait to see the signed decree”.