“Volcanic” harvesting: Santorini, Soave and Lessini Durello take stock of the harvest

Their wines are excellent because of their distinct traits, such as aromatic intensity and longevity combining fruity and mineral notes, which have contributed to being acknowledged and successful on the International market. We are talking about “volcanic” wines, that is, the wines coming from vineyards whose roots are in lava origin soils. They are part of the European project HEVA, Heroes of Europe Volcanic Agriculture. The main denominations include Santorini wines from the Greek island of Santorini, and Soave and Lessini Durello wines from Veneto, whose Consortiums and wineries have assessed the impact of the 2024 climate on their vineyards and production, looking at the 2024 harvest. “Adverse weather conditions in Santorini have made 2024 an unusual year, due to a decline in yield, the lowest ever registered on the Island, in addition to early harvesting, which began on July 30th, about two weeks earlier than the average over the last ten years, and ended on August 22”, Nikos Varvarigos, winemaker at Santo Wines, explained. The Greek island experienced a mild and dry winter, and then was hit by strong, southerly winds during the flowering period, followed by a violent hailstorm in May that pummeled the best vineyards, and an especially hot summer that accelerated grape ripening.
“In spite of all these difficulties, however, the grapes have maintained an excellent quality, producing concentrated and aromatic musts, and the typical acidity, minerality and flavor that characterize the Santorini PDO wines”. There are 1.200 hectares of vineyards on the Island that are mainly cultivated with Assyrtiko, a grapevine known for its resistance to drought conditions, downy mildew and botrytis. The PDO was established in 1971 and includes both white and sweet wines. White wines must be produced with at least 75% Assyrtiko, while the percentage for Vin Santo drops to 51%. The remainder can be made up of Aidani and Athiri, as well as other local grapevines. While the production phase in the winery has already started in Santorini, the Soave and Lessini Durello denominations are still busy with the grape harvest. “The 2024 season looks optimal from the technological and quality point of view”, Cristian Ridolfi, president of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Soave e Recioto di Soave, commented. The buds are well fertilized and there is optimal enlargement of the berries, thanks to water availability, which allowed us to obtain healthy Garganega grapes, good technological maturation and balance between sugars and acidity, ideal for winemaking”.
Forecasts are positive also for the second Italian wine denomination in the HEVA project, Lessini Durello, a sparkling wine produced entirely from Durella grapes. “This year’s harsh climate trend, however, did not have too much impact on the vegetative trend”, Diletta Tonello, president of the Lessini Durello Consortium, said, “significant temperature variations between night and day during the summer months allowed us to obtain healthy Durella grapes, of perfect technological ripening, optimal for sparkling wine production”.