HARVEST 2023: FORECASTS AND ANALYSIS OF THE VINTAGE ACCORDING TO THE BIGOT INDEX

A harvest with medium-high quality potential , so far equal to 76/100 , despite the difficult health situation of the grapes: Giovanni Bigot , agronomist and founder of the Perleuve company, analyzed the 2023 vintage through the Bigot Index , an objective evaluation method of qualitative potential of the vineyard which takes into consideration the nine most important agronomic parameters, cross-referencing the data collected during the season. The potential, still partial, is high in particular for the white grape varieties and for the crus of the black grape varieties. Furthermore, in most cases, it promises to be an excellent year for sparkling wine bases. Regarding the weather , the period between 28 July and 28 August in Italy was 50 to 100% rainier than average, resulting in an increase in the average weight of the grapes and a reduction in sugars. Regarding temperatures , lower temperatures were recorded than the historical average (19.2 °C) in all the monitored wine-growing areas: this is an excellent indicator of the quality of the harvest. The maximum temperatures, however, were slightly higher, but the days in which the temperature exceeded 35 °C doubled compared to the average of the last ten years (122%). The temperature range was among the greatest recorded in the last thirty-nine years , with average temperatures not too high guaranteeing grapes with great viticultural potential in terms of the aroma and longevity of the wines. The data examined during the 2023 season through the Bigot Index clearly describes the situation, despite the variety of wine-growing areas considered. In particular, the water deficit in the 2023 vintage was of medium intensity and favored the development of a greater leaf surface, as well as significant vigor of the vines. These conditions therefore particularly increased production per strain. Biodiversity , which is clearly increasing, has contributed to keeping the vineyards in balance and prolonging their life. “The quality of the grapes – explains Giovanni Bigot – is strongly influenced by the soil, the meteorological trend and, above all, by the agronomic practices. However, soils do not change over time, while the weather, on the contrary, changes a lot. Man does the rest: he modifies, adapts and tries to shape the vine to his ideas, his needs and the techniques available. This is why human work is central: by adopting a rigorous holistic method, much can be done to improve vineyard management. Investing in its application is essential to guarantee sustainable and high-quality wine production in any situation." The health of the grapes, however, is delicate: “In my experience – continues Bigot – the 2023 vintage was one of the most difficult, given the variability of cases and the objective problems to be faced. The phytosanitary pressure was undoubtedly important, but those who adopted a careful and precise approach in managing the vineyard had negligible damage". Another interesting research by Bigot concerns the comparison of the current year with previous seasons relating to the same area . The agronomist used a statistical clustering approach to associate and compare the weather data and historical averages of the last thirty-nine years in Italy, in the period between 28 July and 28 August. In particular, it was noted that this year's weather, from veraison to the beginning of the harvest, was similar to that of 1985 for the North East, to 2021 and 2003 for the Centre, to 2000 for the North West. In all cases these are years characterized by good rainfall, high temperature variations and lower than average minimum temperatures