Despite the recent extreme heat, good-quality grapes are expected from this harvest
The grape harvest beginning during these first days of August is one of the longest-lasting harvests in Italy. The 2023 Sicily DOC grape harvest will be closing a year marked by a changeable climate which, unfortunately, has influenced this year’s yield. In fact, a drop of 35% is expected, moderated only thanks to the extraordinary and prompt work of Sicilian winegrowers, work that in some areas, has allowed the plants to overcome the effects of downy mildew first and then the aggressive heat of July, without great damage.
“This has been a particularly complex year because, starting from last autumn and winter, we have been working in very peculiar climatic conditions, conditions that we can define as “quite non-Sicilian”. – Says Antonio Rallo, President of the Consortium – There have been more frequent and very intense rainfalls in an environmental context characterized by a normally much drier climate. The spring and summer rain was certainly useful for building up water reserves in the soils and basins, an additional protection in defending the plants from the extreme heat of recent weeks. The ripening of the grapes is about a week late. The expected drop in production is around 35%, but we remain quite positive regarding the quality of this vintage”.
The harvest of white grapes has just begun, in particular that of the international vines such as Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. We will continue at the end of the month with the indigenous vines that are the symbols of the island, including Grillo and Nero d’Avola; these latter are the varieties among those most affected by the decrease in production.
