Between harvest and market, the state of the art in Italy’s largest “still” denominations

Among the many territories that have begun to harvest their first grapes or are still waiting to kick off the 2024 grape harvest there are also the two largest denominations of all: that of Chianti Docg, for red wines, with its 15,500 hectares of vineyards, and the Sangiovese pillar, 3,000 companies involved and an average of 100 million bottles produced every year, and that of the Doc delle Venezie, the most important territory in the world for Pinot Grigio, which, between Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and the province of Trento, is the largest in the world for Pinot Grigio. And it is precisely in the great white wine appellation that the harvest has just begun.
“A good season for Pinot Grigio in the North-East: excellent quality despite complicated vineyard management and the rains at the beginning of the season”, explains the Consortium led by Albino Armani, which, after the increase in free production of 140 quintals/hectare (10 quintals/hectare more than the 2023 production season), sees the first quotations for Pinot Grigio Doc Delle Venezie grapes confirm a slight but significant increase in value from 0.50-0.55 euro per kilo in 2023, to 0.53-0.58 euro per kilo this year. And while it is difficult to give a homogenous view of such a vast territory, “in general, compared to last year, this production season opens in a positive manner, especially in terms of quality”, says Stefano Sequino, director of the Consorzio di tutela Doc Delle Venezie, “and in terms of volumes, in some areas we expect a lower production, but throughout the area we are satisfied with the quality level of the Pinot Grigio grapes achieved, a result obtained thanks to the care and great work done in the vineyard, which has returned healthy grapes and optimal chemical-physical parameters”.
But what is most comforting, as mentioned, is the increase in values, “a result that bucks the average situation in the national wine sector and is particularly important”, comments the President of the Consorzio della Doc delle Venezie, Albino Armani, “taking into account a complex national and world market conjuncture, but not accidental: it is a path of growth for the denomination, which has just begun, linked to the application of the supply management measures resolved by our Board of Directors, which contribute to maintaining a condition of market stability and a quality/price ratio that, together with the guarantees provided by the State mark applied to 230 million bottles produced each year, is unparalleled. In such a path, the goal is to be able to work so that all the categories of the supply chain can find recognition and adequate margins, a necessary condition to carry on their business and work with high quality standards”.
In Chianti, too, a large-volume harvest is not expected, but so far the quality in the vineyard points to optimum quality. “The 2024 harvest will not be as rich as some expected. We will not have a full load, but the wine is excellent”, says Giovanni Busi, president of the Consorzio Vino Chianti. “Vineyards have had to reckon over the past few months with downy mildew, a fungus that intervenes in the first phase of vegetation, destroying the bunch, or if it arrives later, affecting individual grapes that dry out: the numerous downy mildew attacks that occurred in May-June caused a reduction in production. Fortunately, however, the fungus does not affect the quality of the grapes, and therefore also that of the wine, which in fact promises to be excellent”. The harvest will begin next week for the white wines, in line with previous years, while for the reds we are still waiting, although “the harvest was brought forward in some areas where the plants suffered from a lack of water and the bunches were very dehydrated, but this is not the case for Chianti”, says Busi. The underlying issue in the wine world, however, is the stagnation of the market. Already last year there was a drop of wine in the market of 20%, this year it is still too early to make forecasts. “Wine stocks are 1 million hectolitres, in line with other years. The real problem is not the stocks, but the fact that consumption is falling: if we do not make policies to restore purchasing power to people, sales will not restart”, Busi comments.