The 2023 harvesting has begun and it will be another difficult one

The 2023 harvesting will be remembered, yet again, from winemakers all over the Italy for its many challenges, due to the unpredictable weather patterns.

From the devastating floods in Emilia-Romagna to the scorching temperatures in Sicily, to the lack of dry days during the spring that has caused the Peronospora to attack the vines. The 2023 grape growing season is one that has been marked by extremes across the country, from north to south, with no exception. Climate change is now widely acknowledged as the cause of these extremes and unpredictable weather events. Italian winemakers have not had a “normal” harvesting for several years now and each harvesting brings more and new challenges.

The 2023 harvesting season in Italy was marked by unpredictable weather patterns that tested the resilience of growers across the country. An unusually wet spring that has seen the vines affected by the Peronospora was followed by very high temperatures during the summer months with lack of rain and drought conditions and for the first time, with a very few exceptions, it has been the same all over Italy.

The 2023 will also be remembered as the year of the Peronospora, a mildew disease that can cause severe damage to many different crops including vines, that forced all our producers, and all producers following an organic agriculture, growers that are not allowed to use chemicals in their vineyards, to literally spend day and night in the vineyards removing the parts affected by the disease to prevent the spreading. From Tuscany to Sicily, from Veneto to Abruzzo, the 2023 vintage will see a reduction in quantity, reduction forecasted to be between 20% and 40% depending on the area, but due to a careful vineyard management, an excellent quality of the grapes and consequently, if the weather do not present any more challenge for the rest of the harvesting, the 2023 is expected to be a very good/great vintage.

In Italy, like in the rest of the world, winemakers are now used to early, anticipated harvesting and 2023 has been no exception. But climate change is not all bad news for winemakers, there are also areas and regions and countries that are benefiting from it, and England is one of them, that have seen an explosion in grape growing and wine production.

However, despite the good news for some, climate change has affected and will continue to affect, Italian harvesting, forcing winemakers to use all their knowledge and skills to respond to the challenges. If nothing is done, soon growing grapes will be almost impossible despite the technology that is now assisting winemakers in their effort to combat climate change.