In Sicily, the ferocious heat does not stop the harvest which began just in these days in western Sicily and will continue in the coming weeks in central-southern and eastern Sicily. It remains to be understood how much the heat will affect, but the forecasts are still very positive: “A great year for white grapes is expected, and if the weather doesn’t play bad jokes it will be a great year for reds – say the experts of Uva Sapiens who have developed the estimates on behalf of Assovini -. Up to now it has been the ideal vintage, we have had a long, cold and quite rainy winter, which has allowed the vines a great rest. The mild temperatures and the few spring rains refreshed the soils, allowed a good water accumulation for the plants and did not cause phytoiatric problems ». José Rallo of Cantine Donnafugata is certain: «The harvest conditions are not affected by these temperatures, for an acceleration in maturation and therefore in harvesting. We had rain in winter and therefore the plants are doing well, fortunately the year is more abundant than 2020, which was one of the least abundant in the last 150 years ».
The Consorzio della Doc Sicilia goes so far as to say that the 2021 harvest promises to be more generous than in 2020, with a 10-15 percent higher harvest. Filippo Paladino, vice president of the Consortium explains: «For ripening and harvesting we are on average with last season. The first grapes to be harvested are those of Pinot Grigio, followed by Chardonnay especially in the area of the plateau to continue with the hill. After the first ten days of August it is planned to harvest Moscato and Sauvignon blanc and after the middle of the month we will continue with the autochthonous ones: Grillo, Zibibbo, Insolia and Grecanico. As for the reds, we plan to start harvesting in mid-August with the international Merlot and Syrah and then continue with Nero d’Avola, Perricone and Cabernet ».
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Export: success abroad for white wines
Producers look to the new harvest with optimism, also strengthened by the positive trend of the first six months of the year which showed an 8% increase in bottling for a total of over 50 million bottles produced. To which are added the positive export data, with Sicilian whites which, in the first four months of the year, even recorded a + 45% export compared to 2020, while the reds reached +10 percent. The official numbers of the 2020 vintage confirm a production of 4.46 million hectoliters, on average with the last 5 years but with a -11.3% compared to the average of the last 10 years. Grillo and Catarratto, are the varieties that in 2020 recorded the best productive and qualitative performances, with an average production of 110 quintals per hectare, followed by Nero d’Avola and Nerello mascalese (70 gli / ha), Chardonnay and Merlot (50 gli / ha), /has). “The 2020 harvest was qualitatively very important, as can be seen from the elegance, freshness and structure of the wines produced by our members in all areas of the island” comments the president of Assovini Sicilia, Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais.
Etna Doc: there is excitement around the volcano
Meanwhile, there is turmoil on the slopes of Etna where substantial changes to the disciplinary have recently been made while there is waiting for the renewal of the Board of Directors of the consortium which has been postponed to September. «In 2020 there were 4 million bottles of Etna Doc, with a decrease of only 8% – explains Maurizio Lunetta, director of the Consortium -. Trust in Etna wine has therefore never been lacking: last year, in fact, both the number of winemakers increased to 383, and
that of the bottlers, which reached 144 units ».
Meanwhile, data from the Etna Doc Consortium on bottling in the first half of 2021 recorded an increase compared to the same period in 2020 and, above all, they are back in line with the years prior to the start of the pandemic: in the first half of 2021 the hectoliters bottled in Etna Doc there were 18,693 with a growth of 19% compared to the same period last year. A figure substantially identical to that of the first half of 2019. “These are very encouraging signs, which certify an unequivocal restart by the Etna wine – says Antonio Benanti, president of the Consortium -. The almost total reopening of the Horeca channel, which represents the main point of reference for Etna Doc wines, has made it possible to resume bottling at full speed all the types of our appellation. Furthermore, exports, which for Etna Doc represent on average 60%, in particular to countries such as the USA, are giving very positive signals ».