A hot, dry climate has promoted healthy, intact grapes.
Sicilian producers are able to cope with climatic conditions through innovative rootstocks, soil management, and experimental sensors that monitor water stress.
The longest grape harvest in Italy, averaging over one hundred days, this year began twelve days early.
A record for some areas, such as in the Menfi territories, where Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay are already being harvested.
A warm winter and spring, devoid of rain, promoted an early budding and, consequently, an anticipation of all the phenological and physiological phases of the vine.
Despite the drought conditions, no signs of water stress are present and the grapes are perfectly healthy and intact.
Excellent phytosanitary and quality status
Sicilian vineyards, therefore, are in an excellent phytosanitary and qualitative state; some grape varieties grown in the island’s areas reveal a natural and performing resistance to extreme drought conditions.
For the 2024 vintage, an increase of around 10-15% over the previous vintage is estimated, but a physiological decline from an optimal average.
Winegrowers in Sicily are proving capable of governing drought through the use of innovative rootstocks and the use of natural products called corroborants that shelter against environmental stresses and heat waves.
Finally, proper management of soil and water resources, along with experimentation initiated with sensors that monitor water stress, enable precision irrigation and optimal water use.
After kicking off in Western Sicily with the harvest of the sparkling wine base, the harvest continues with international varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, followed by native grape varieties.
Closing this long harvest will be the producers of Etna, at the end of October.
The word from Mariangela Cambria, president of Assovini Sicilia
“The Sicilian grape harvest is a time of great confrontation for the island’s winemakers, ” comments Mariangela Cambria, president of Assovini Sicilia. The forecasts for the 2024 vintage speak of quality and healthy, intact grapes, but also of agronomic and soil management techniques that today make it possible to cope better with drought in Sicily and in the vineyards.
The problem of water resource management cannot be addressed independently by individual producers but requires an overall political vision that allows a water plan to be implemented in a structural way.
Sicily is fortunate to enjoy an extraordinary variety that translates into a diversity of wine production ” – Mariangela Cambria concludes.
Seasonal trend vintage 2024 and harvest forecasts
Western Sicily
The warm weather has favored the growth of the grapes, which are healthy and intact.
To date, the quality of the grapes is excellent, and there are no problems with powdery mildew or botrytis. The limited water reserves in the vineyards, together with the early start of summer, have accelerated all phenological phases of the vine. ” We observed an early bud break with an advance of about 10 days, followed by an early flowering at the end of April and an equally early veraison.
These factors made it necessary to advance the harvest by about 12 days compared to previous years.
As far as quantity is concerned, we are in the annual average, at the moment all varieties are responding well, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and we expect an increase in production compared to the 2023 harvest year “, comments Filippo Buttafuoco, viticulture technician. “The advantages have been phytosanitary because the dry weather events have favored the growth of particularly healthy grapes.
The disadvantage may be early ripening, especially for non-native white grapes, even 20 days earlier than the previous vintage “, adds agronomist Ennio Gugliotta.
South Central Sicily
The vintage follows the typical cliché of hot, dry years.
A warm winter and spring, devoid of rain, promoted early budding and, consequently, an anticipation of all phenological and physiological phases of the vine. Therefore, we can consider it a vintage with early harvests even in the south-central territories of Sicily. ” Our vineyards are in excellent phytosanitary condition and the grapes are healthy. Regarding quality, the grapes that will be harvested by August will reach an excellent quality standard.
This vintage is similar to 2017 and 2022.
These are hot and dry vintages.
Although it is still early for a final judgment, as the harvest has just begun and will last until October, it is undeniable that the Sicily vineyard has healthy and intact grapes “, comments oenologist Tonino Guzzo.
Etna
We are still a few months away from the arrival of the harvest on Etna, where there have been
high temperatures and some sporadic rain, followed by the extreme heat of July with reduced day-night temperature ranges. Despite the fairly dry conditions, there are still no signs of water stress. ” Quantity is very good but will be affected by the hoped-for rains in late August. Quality will also depend largely on the August/September rains.
The grapes are perfectly healthy.
To govern drought, it takes a long-term strategy, choice of planting density, but above all use native varieties on resistant rootstocks.
In the short term, proper soil and canopy management can be of great help.” comments agronomist Marco Nicolosi. In the Etna area, high quantities are expected this year, 10-15% more than average. “Certainly, there are varieties that seem to resist climate change very well, such as Nerello Mascalese.
Carricante and Catarratto have also responded well to these temperature and water changes.
More sensitive to climate change are Nero d’Avola and Grillo.
Good internationals, particularly Syrah and Chardonnay, which as always show a very good response to the events “, comments the winemaker Emiliano Falsini.
Southeast
“L‘vintage is droughty and hot, but thanks to the inclusion of an innovative system-which monitors through sensors a precise water demand-we manage a precision irrigation.
The harvest of the white berry varieties is about 10 days early while varieties such as Grillo, Chardonnay and Insolia are healthy, in quantity and in balance thanks to a wise management of the vineyards.
The variety that responds best to both climate change and possible diseases is undoubtedly Frappato ” – comments agronomist Daniele Modica. For agronomists Silvio Vallone and Mattia Giacomelli, “the quality of the grapes is very good, with a slightly below average yield.
We can speak of white wines with important concentrations from an aromatic point of view and structured reds with significant polyphenolic ripening “.
North – East and Aeolian Islands
Even in the province of Messina, the land of the three DOCs (Mamertino, Faro, Malvasia), the forecast is good and the harvest will begin a week early in late August. “Early ripening has not compromised quality.
The grapes are in excellent phytosanitary condition.
Our native grape varieties-Malvasia, Corinto Nero, Catarratto-are varieties that withstand extreme heat well.
To better manage drought, we work the soil and use resistant rootstocks.
Perhaps there will be a drop on quantity but we can already talk about a vintage with good quality “. comments winemaker Pietro Colosi.
How to manage drought and water stress
Innovation, rootstocks, soil management, use of organic matter to maintain soil moisture as much as possible: this is how to govern water stress according to some agronomists and oenologists.
According to Tonino Guzzo: ” Rootstocks must ensure not only resistance to extreme conditions but also excellent quality.
In Sicily it is necessary to apply the principles of agriculture scientifically and make moderate use of ‘support irrigation “. Some winemakers, from the beginning of budding, during spring, given the Sicilian soil and climate context, remove weeds in order to reduce water competition with the vineyard.
Then in the fall, grassing is encouraged. “To protect the vines from environmental stresses-drought and heat waves-we use innovative natural products-known as corroborants: these are zeolite and kaolin, which applied on the leaf apparatus shelter from the sun’s rays and prevent sunburn, creating a hostile environment for harmful insects such as the leafhopper and the moth.
In all our vineyards, water is metered and metered through drip irrigation systems “, adds Filippo Buttafuoco. “Unfortunately, the lack of water needs to be mainly countered with a major water plan that focuses on water regulation, the construction of reservoirs usable by farmers, a reforestation plan to avoid desertification phenomena, and tight fight against arson.
The problem must be addressed in the right way because in the coming years it risks not only affecting viticulture but unfortunately also the economy of entire regions “, Emiliano Falsini concludes. About Sicilian wines: Sicilian whites fly – DoctorWine
