THE 2023 HARVEST OF THE CONSORTIUM FOR THE PROTECTION OF SICILIAN DOC WINES IS UNDERWAY

One of the longest-lasting harvests in Italy, the one that is starting in these first days of August. The Doc Sicilia 2023 harvest is preparing to close a year marked by a changeable climate which, unfortunately, influenced the production yield. In fact, a 35% drop is expected, limited only thanks to the extraordinary and timely work of Sicilian winemakers, which has allowed the plants to overcome the effects of downy mildew first and the aggressive heat of July afterwards in some areas without great damage. “ This was a particularly complex year because, starting from last autumn and winter, we worked in very particular climatic conditions that we can define as "not very Sicilian" . – Says Antonio Rallo, President of the Consortia o - More frequent and very intense rains have involved an environmental context characterized by a normally much drier climate. The spring and summer rains have certainly been useful for building up water reserves in the soils and basins, an additional protection in defending the plants from the extreme heat of recent weeks. The ripening of the grapes is about a week late. The expected drop in production is around 35%, we remain somewhat positive for the quality level of this vintage ”. The harvest of white grapes has just begun, in particular of international vines such as Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. We will continue at the end of the month with the autochthonous symbols of the island, including Grillo and Nero d'Avola, varieties among the most affected by the decrease in production.