A two-speed 2024 harvest, the one that is characterizing the year. Early in the south, waiting to recover the delay accumulated in the flowering phase in the north. If the upcoming harvest promises to be positive, it was spring that dictated the cards of the year. Between March and May, the north and center of Italy recorded above-average rainfall and in many areas extra work was necessary in the vineyard. In any case, producers all agree in underlining that the first months of 2024 have increased water reserves in the soil. Today summer is the master everywhere: despite the fact that the next few weeks are as crucial as ever, in general the harvest seems to be in line with the times, and in the name of satisfactory quality and quantity. Here is the first assessment and the prospects for the situation in Northern Italy, between Alto Adige, Trentino, Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria.
The 2024 harvest in Alto Adige: the producers’ voice
At Cantina Terlano and Cantina Andriano (190 hectares and 80 hectares in total, respectively) that face each other from one side of the Adige Valley to the other, Rudi Kofler, oenologist of both social cooperatives, describes the 2024 vintage as follows:
“The spring was rainy and cool until the end of June and this kept the winemakers very busy in the vineyard. Thanks to targeted and diligent work on the foliage and the professional efforts of our members, the vineyards today look very good. The current warm and sunny climate is advancing the ripening of the grapes and promises excellent quality”.
The start of the harvest is expected to be between 5 and 7 days later than last year.
Thomas Scarizuola, Kellermeister of Cantina Kaltern (440 hectares), talks about a cool year with abundant rainfall that required careful and well-coordinated management of the vineyard park. The expected production quantity is lower than the previous year but “the quality is expected to be very good: the vines are bringing the bunches to maturity calmly and with the right concentration”. The harvest is expected to start in the second week of September.
What a vintage 2024 will be in Trentino: the prospects of Cembra Cantina di Montagna and San Leonardo
At Cembra Cantina di Montagna, which has a vineyard park of 300 hectares at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, the record spring rains (total precipitation since the beginning of the year is well over 1,000 mm) have finally given way to stable and sunny weather.
“Experience and dedication have allowed the winemakers of Cembra to maintain good health of the bunches,” explains winemaker Stefano Rossi. From a quantitative point of view, “we expect a decrease, while from a qualitative point of view there are all the elements for a good harvest… which could begin in the last days of August or the first of September.”
Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga, owner of San Leonardo, describes the 2024 vintage as follows:
“The abundant rainfall between May and June slowed down the vegetative phase and forced us to pay truly obsessive attention to managing the campaign. Fortunately, since July the sun has begun to shine and the heat has allowed the plants to vegetate correctly and now we find ourselves in a situation of perfect balance. The grapes began to veraison towards the end of July. We expect a rather abundant harvest for the reds while for the whites we could suffer a drop in the order of 10%. As for the quality, we will see – as usual – at the end of the harvest”.
The 2024 harvest in Oltrepò Pavese: Pinot Noir harvest later than the average of recent years
For Conte Vistarino, 100 hectares of vineyards and a symbol of the history of wine in Oltrepò Pavese, the 2024 vintage has seen all the knowledge and means available to man be deployed to counteract a complex climate trend, also the result of climate change.
“A rainy spring, in fact, was echoed by a hot and humid summer that led to uneven ripening of the grapes,” explains Ottavia Vistarino. “We expect a quantitative reduction but we are confident that we can vinify single batches of Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay of absolute excellence, thanks to a highly selected harvest, organized over several stages in the vineyard in search of perfect ripening and the best bunches. This selection also continues in the cellar thanks to the optical sorter of the grapes.”
The start of the Pinot Noir harvest is expected after the third week of August, a few days later than the average of recent years.
The situation in Piedmont
Federica Boffa of Pio Cesare (75 hectares) describes a positive 2024 vintage:
“The winter was mild and without precipitation. Fortunately, spring brought intermittent rain until the end of June and temperatures in April and May remained below seasonal averages. All this helped bring the water table back to normal after the drought of recent years. The vine sprouting began around March 10, but continued slowly until the end of June and then accelerated in July when temperatures returned to high levels”.
“The very thick and chlorophyll-rich canopy is working towards perfect technological and phenolic ripening of the grapes. We expect a harvest with canonical timing for our area; therefore, the start is expected within the first ten days of September with the white grape varieties and will probably end in the second half of October with the Nebbiolo”.
The 2024 grape harvest in Liguria will be in September
Diego Bosoni, producer of Lvnae, takes stock of the Colli di Luni:
“The season started out fluctuating but thanks to the favorable microclimate – the relationship between the sea and the mountains with its constant ventilation, always helps us – and the precision work in the vineyard, we arrived in July with healthy and thriving vineyards. Now the sun is shining continuously, the water reserves are there because it rained enough in the previous months, and the grapes are ripening optimally and with an excellent ratio of quantity and quality. We will harvest between the first and second week of September”.
