Grape harvest in Italy “turns red”: Valpolicella kicks off, with excellent quality and lower volume

In Valpolicella, wine generates an estimated turnover of around 600 million euros, including Amarone, Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Recioto. Beyond filling glasses around the world, together with the beauty of Verona, it attracts millions of tourists each year from any corner of the planet. This region, consistently among the top in Italy in terms of wine value, officially kicks off 2025 harvest, which, until now dominated by white grape varieties, is now beginning to show deeper shades of red (although some red grapes have already been harvested in various parts of Italy).
“2025 harvest officially begins today in Valpolicella. According to data from the Consortium, the harvest across the 19 municipalities of the denomination suggests a balanced vintage considering quality, with good sugar concentration and a well-proportioned acidity/pH ratio in the berries,” explains a note by the Consortium. As previously reported, the Verona-based Consortium, like others, has decided to reduce grape yields. “From a quantitative standpoint, the harvest is expected to total around 850,000 quintals of grapes, 10% less compared to last year, with 350,000 quintals reserved for the drying process used in Amarone and Recioto production. This reduction, along with the Consortium’s policies on quota management, promotion, and governance, aims to maintain Valpolicella’s positioning and competitiveness in the complex international market”, explains Christian Marchesini, president of Consorzio Vini Valpolicella.
According to the Consortium, grapes have reached optimal phenolic ripeness with a significant content of anthocyanins and tannins, the compounds responsible for color and structure in red wines. “Despite the rainfall during the final phase before harvest, conditions remain ideal for producing great long-aged red wines from Veneto. The phytosanitary condition of Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella is generally good, demonstrating the commitment of producers to plant protection”. Consequently, Marchesini adds, “the climatic trend of 2025 vintage should result in wines which express depth and fidelity to the terroirs of the denomination, with promising quality prospects for consumers’ palates”.
The grape harvesting for the drying process in Valpolicella is entirely manual and accounts for about 120,000 workdays during the harvest. This figure rises to nearly 170,000 when including the partially mechanized harvest of grapes destined for the production of other wines in the denomination, still underlines the Consortium, which represents a network of over 2,400 businesses, including grape growers, winemakers, and bottlers operating across 19 municipalities in the province of Verona, covering 8,600 hectares of vineyards, and producing 59 million bottles in 2024 and, with over 80% of representativeness, it protects and promotes the denomination both in Italy and worldwide.