Vigneto Italia on the eve of the 2023 harvest
Vineyard Italy and harvests: declining harvests in almost all of Italy. The downy mildew alarm returns
After years of early harvests, 2023 restores the balance of harvest times, in some cases even late, but leaves its mark on quantity, in almost all of Italy decreasing from 20 to 50%.
The climatic trend had a profound effect on the ripening of the grapes and on the volumes produced, both due to the spring frosts and the heavy summer hailstorms mainly in the North, and to the downy mildew, which has reappeared with virulence, above all in the Central South, due to the persistent humidity.
This is what emerged in the last meeting of the National Wine Federation of Confagricoltura, which was attended by the presidents of the regional sections to take stock of the situation before the start of the harvest.
The decline is evident in many regions: part of Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia, part of Liguria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo, Campania, Molise, Basilicata, Calabria, Puglia and Sicily. In contrast Lombardy, Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto, where today about 5% more quantities are valued than in 2022.
Harvest, the winegrowers among plant diseases and a bizarre climate
“In such a complex context, – says the president of the Confagricoltura Wine Federation, Federico Castellucci – Italian winemakers have done everything possible, but they have been put to the test to counter the plant diseases exacerbated by the bizarre climate. For those who practice organic viticulture, in some areas the harvest is even more than halved in terms of quantity. The next few weeks will be decisive for making the most of production”.
Harvest and downy mildew emergency
The abundant rains of late spring and early summer favored the spread of downy mildew. Italy is not alone in facing this problem: French winegrowers are also grappling with the disease which particularly attacks the most sensitive varieties. “Many processes – adds Castellucci – could not be carried out because the climatic conditions prevented access to the land”.
The downy mildew emergency is part of the increasingly broader and more serious problem associated with plant diseases in the agricultural sector, for which Confagricoltura is requesting the preparation of an “Extraordinary action plan to combat the spread of plant diseases” which analyses, develops and supports specific measures which lead to strengthening and making the national strategy for monitoring and combating diseases more effective.
Vigneto Italia and costs doubled
“Those who managed to treat the vineyards had to face additional costs to save the crop. Costs at least doubled, in some cases tripled compared to ordinary years, for phytosanitary control (fuel, personnel, pesticides), necessarily repeated treatments and diesel, which significantly affect the final income statement and weigh on the company balance sheets, already reduced for the decline in consumption resulting from the increase in inflation”.
“The growth in the price of grapes expected in some areas – adds Castellucci – will never be such as to compensate for the increase in costs incurred.
Added to these problems is the continuous presence of wild boars which does not spare the vineyards throughout Italy.
Vineyard Italy, labor in decline
Finally, in view of the next harvest, there are still difficulties in finding manpower, which, for the wine sector, represents 20% of total employment in agriculture. The new measures on flows are not fluid in bureaucratic management and, despite the good intentions and the government’s openness to the demands of the agricultural world, they still get stuck on administrative procedures, which are too slow compared to the times dictated by the nature and needs of companies.
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