FROM THE MOST IMPORTANT NAMES AND THE BEST WINES, FROM THE TRENTINO TO FRANCIACORTA AND THE VENETO, EVERYONE’S CONFIRIMING AN EARLY BUT GOOD 2007 HARVEST FOR ITALIAN SPARKLING WINES. CONSUMPTION OF SPUMANTE CONTINUES TO INCREASE ON FOREIGN MARKETS

The 2007 harvest is set to be a good year for Italian sparkling wines. It is also set to be a very early harvest for grapes used for sparkling wines, with the average dates ahead of schedule by between 15 – 20 days compared to the 2006 harvest. And, in some cases, the harvest will begin even earlier than the 2003 harvest, which was the earliest to date for the new millennium.
From the Trentino region to Lombardy and the Veneto, forecasts for the 2007 harvests by the most important producers of Italian “bubblies” are generally positive though prudent; the early harvest may have caused some imperfections during the maturation of the grapes. In part, it will be the vinification process that will determine the definitive quality of this year’s Spumante.

“The 2007 harvest” – explained Fausto Peratoner, General Manager of Cantina La Vis and Cesarini Sforza in the Trentino – “is one of the earliest in recent years. We began the grape harvest on August 10th, 15 days ahead of the 2006 harvest, beginning with Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Nero, in lower altitude vineyards, and probably finishing next week with the vineyards situated 700 meters above sea level. From the musts that are already fermenting, it is still hard to give a definitive evaluation: it is apparent that there is a good stability for the principal indicators with an acidity-alcohol level relation better than that of 2006 and a good conservation of aromas”.
Anselmo Martini, the enologist at the colossal Cavit in Trentino, is a bit more leery, however: “The grapes used for Spumante have already been harvested; the 2007 harvest, which is so early, above all because of a very hot spring, is not the best condition for this typology. It can be said it will be a good year, but not extraordinary. We had already begun harvesting operations on August 10th, at least 15 days earlier than that of 2006, and even a few days earlier than in 2003 (a year that has been remembered for its very early harvest), with Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio having gradations within the norm and with a good acidity”.

“Apart from spending the August 15th holiday in the vineyards” – noted Umberto Pichler, Production Manager at Mezzacorona, the other ‘giant’ of the Trentino – “I hope and think that 2007 will be a good year; we have already harvested 70% of the grapes used for making Spumante, starting with Chardonnay, which was harvested 15 days earlier in respect to 2006 and a few days earlier than the very early 2003 harvest. We are satisfied: it appears to be a balanced year and, quantitatively, comparable to 2006. Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, already at the end of fermentation, have produced quality musts similar to those of 2006”.

The 2007 harvest of Spumante grapes is about halfway finished at the Ferrari winery and according to its Production Manager, Mauro Lunelli, “The sacrifice of the August 15th holiday aside, the quality is good regardless of the very early harvest. An earliness caused by a vegetative phase that began early after a very mild winter and a very hot spring, but which did complete all of its phases. We began harvesting operations on August 6th (while in 2003, the earliest harvest to date, we began on August 11th), and we plan on finishing at the end of the month. The grapes are healthy and can easily withstand even these few days of rain. Furthermore, the temperatures have greatly decreased, further protection from disease. Quantitatively, it will be a harvest similar to that of 2006”.

Even in Franciacorta the 2007 harvest is exceptionally early, but for Mattia Vezzola, Director of Bellavista (the “top” sparkling wine producer in Italy according to a WineNews survey), “The decidedly early harvest this year, contrary to that of 2003, has allowed grape vines to go through all of their vegetative phases, guaranteeing a good grape maturation. We began harvesting the grapes on August 13th (in 2003 we began on August 26th), but this year’s August has permitted a relaxed harvest with good daytime temperatures and interesting night time temperature drops. We are, more or less, at 50% of the harvest and I think that we can speak of a year of great balance: the musts that have already fermented possess a very stable acidity, very fresh fruits and tending towards elegant”.

”We have begun the harvest 20 days ahead of that of 2006” – explained Luigi Roughens, agronomist at Ca’ del Bosco – “and it is already finished for the grapes that are destined for Spumante. Analytically, the data is pretty good and, overall, I am moderately optimistic. Of course, the causes of the early 2007 harvest are for different reasons and are less worrisome than those of 2003… Quantitatively speaking, production will be similar to 2006”.

Arturo Ziliani, the Production Manager at Berlucchi commented, “For those who did not notice the earliness of the 2007 harvest, it will be a bad year, for those who knew how to prepare themselves, it could be a very interesting harvest. The components of acidity are privileged and the alcohol gradations are not bad. Our harvest began during the first days of August and is already almost ending”.

And even Prosecco di Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, vineyards that are harvested notoriously late, are not an exception to the early 2007 harvests. “It is an exceptional fact that we are beginning to harvest Prosecco grapes on August 27th” – explained Gianluca Bisol, the head of the Veneto company, one of the most celebrated in Italy – “nevertheless, it seems to be an interesting year. The only painful note is the quantitative decline of 5%, a fact that could affect Prosecco prices during a trend, as is actually the case, of an increase in demand”.

Franco Pallini