All set for the start of the 2024 harvest also on the heroic hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene. The announcement comes directly from the Consortium for the Protection of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Docg, which indicates that the first areas to move to start the grape harvest have scheduled the first strokes of the shears already in the first weekend of September. The climatic trend of the season, it is explained, confirms the trend that has been emerging for some years now, that is, an advance of the 2024 harvest compared to the traditional timing. The harvest forecasts, it is concluded, are in line with the provisions of the specification, despite grapes that, to date, are showing a lower acidity than expected due to a rainy spring and the “tropical nights” of this summer.
Rainy spring and “tropical nights”: lower-than-expected acidity for the 2024 harvest in Conegliano Valdobbiadene
The 2024 harvest is upon us. For the winemakers and producers of the Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Docg, bringing healthy and rich grapes to the cellar is the first step towards a quality production destined to reach all the countries of the world.
The climate has been the great challenge for years, with even extreme events that are no longer to be considered rare.
From a meteorological point of view, the season that led to the 2024 harvest was characterized by a very rainy spring, in particular the months of April and May.
Analyzing the available data, it is evident that from 1959 to today there have been four years in which the two-month period April and May has been particularly rainy and they are 2013, 2019, 2021 and this year. It is clear that the phenomenon, in addition to being recent, highlights a trend that must be taken note of.
More specifically, the months in question were characterized by a high number of rainfall events exceeding 50 mm, or three times the average. The consequences on the vine are obviously immediate.
The rain, combined with low temperatures, has slowed down the excessive vegetative growth of the plant but has not prevented frequent micro-landslides, especially on the Rive. Against this landslide phenomenon, the Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Docg is developing a project to restore the slopes most affected by this phenomenon with naturalistic engineering systems and thus to make its most suitable areas safe and productive as soon as possible.
Another recent meteorological phenomenon that impacts the grapes are the “tropical nights”, where temperatures exceed 20°C in a climate context in which during the day they remained around 30°C. It should be noted that to date there have been more than 15 days with temperatures above 35°C. These averages, and in particular the very hot nights, have led to recording lower acidity than expected in the month of July and the first days of August.
To date, the analyses on the grapes show a situation that has returned to the parameters useful for the harvest, which will however be brought forward precisely to ensure that grapes with a correct balance between acidity, and therefore freshness, and sugar content are brought to the cellar.
In terms of production, the expectation is for a 2024 harvest that will be characterized by sparse bunches and smaller berries, both consequences of the weather conditions that the vines have experienced during the year.
