"GRAPE HARVESTS FROM THE CELLARS": FROM TRENTINO TO SICILY, WINERIES' OPINIONS ON THE 2026 HARVEST

A vintage characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall, which produced different responses in different regions and which will only be fully interpreted through the wines in the coming months.

In Trentino, Martina Togn of Gaierhof emphasizes: " In Trentino, the quality of the grapes remains very high. The lack of significant rainfall during the summer has ensured excellent grape health, making it possible to offset the drop in production we had initially anticipated due to some outbreaks of flavescence dorée in the area. Harvest began on August 10th with the sparkling wine bases, and the first vinifications are already showing very promising results, as are the other varieties harvested in the following weeks.

In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Flavio Geretto of Rauscedo comments: " The 2026 harvest ended with a very positive overall result, thanks to healthy, high-quality grapes, the result of careful agronomic management and the professionalism of the members. The scheduled harvest and the on-call harvests allowed us to maximize the value of the different lots, confirming the validity of the process of greater selection and valorization of the production.

Also from Friuli comes a statement from Roberto Pighin of Pighin : " The 2026 vintage was characterized by one of the most severe droughts in recent years. With these climatic conditions, the harvest was brought forward unprecedentedly, concluding by August. Thanks to our efficient irrigation systems that completely cover the company's land, we were able to constantly hydrate our vineyards, obtaining healthy grapes with excellent organoleptic characteristics. Beyond all expectations, in terms of quantity, production is in line with last year.

Moving to Veneto, Andrea Affili , winemaker at Conte Collalto, said: " The 2026 vintage required attention and skill, especially in water management and choosing the ideal time for harvesting. Thanks to emergency irrigation and careful monitoring of ripening, we managed to preserve the acidity and freshness, which are essential for our wines. The grapes arrived at the cellar in excellent condition, with an excellent balance between aroma, structure, and acidity.

" Our first impressions of the 2026 harvest ," emphasize Giovanni and Guglielmo Bertani of Tenuta Santa Maria , " paint a surprisingly positive picture, despite a season with higher-than-average temperatures. The harvested grapes were healthy, with an excellent balance between sugars and acidity and no signs of over-ripening, resulting in bright, fresh wines with good tension."

Diesel Farm 's agronomic team highlights particularly positive results in both quantity and quality: " Diesel Farm's harvest concluded with particularly positive results, exceeding the quantities harvested in previous years despite a season characterized by drought. This demonstrates the vineyard's ability to adapt to climate challenges and the effectiveness of the agronomic practices adopted. In addition to the increased production, the most significant aspect concerns the quality of the grapes, which remained at very high levels.

Giancarlo Tommasi of Tommasi describes a harvest that met the expectations raised during the summer, with particular attention to the grapes destined for drying: " The harvest confirmed the expectations we had developed during the summer. The grapes arrived at the cellar healthy, well-balanced, and with excellent qualitative characteristics. Constant monitoring of the vineyards and the attention paid to every stage of ripening allowed us to harvest perfect bunches for the drying process, a fundamental prerequisite for the production of our Amarone ."

Mattia Vezzola of Costaripa states: “ Valtènesi has always taught us to confront unpredictability and transform it into experience. After 99 harvests, my family still feels like an apprentice: our job is to share the knowledge we've gained over the years with nature, without trying to force it. It is precisely from this balance that wines can be born that are capable of surprising and, above all, of coherently evolving their youth. The 2026 harvest began on August 5th with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, about a week earlier than usual; the 18 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were harvested manually by 42 harvesters; the red grape harvest began on August 19th, about two weeks early. Groppello Gentile, Marzemino, Sangiovese, and Barbera were harvested from first light at 5:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., to best preserve the integrity of the fruit.

In Lombardy, in the Oltrepò Pavese region, Simone Fiori , winemaker at La Genisia , said: " The 2026 harvest was one of the earliest we can remember in the Oltrepò Pavese: we started on August 4th. We started harvesting the grapes for sparkling wine promptly, and within ten days we had all the necessary production brought to the cellar, obtaining base wines with excellent levels of acidity and alcohol content. We are very satisfied with both the quality and quantity. The harvest for the other white grape varieties was also good, while the red grapes were more affected by the high summer temperatures, with a slight decrease in grape weight and therefore in production.

In Franciacorta, Eleonora Bianchi of the organic winery Terre d'Aenòr explains: " The 2026 harvest was characterized by an early growing season and high temperatures that accelerated grape ripening. In some plots, we also had to deal with hailstorms that impacted production volumes, making the work done in the vineyard even more crucial. Canopy management and constant monitoring of the plots allowed us to guide the ripening process while preserving the balance, acidity, and quality of the grapes.

In Piedmont, Sara Vezza of Josetta Saffirio highlights: " The harvest just concluded surprised us positively, partially overturning the expectations we had developed during a season characterized by low rainfall and high temperatures. Despite the weather, we arrived at the harvest with grapes in excellent health and a higher-than-expected yield. From a qualitative standpoint, the initial results in the cellar are very interesting: the musts do not have particularly high concentrations of anthocyanins, but they express very clear and defined aromas, accompanied by adequate acidity and good overall balance.

From the same area comes a testimony from Alberto Cordero di Montezemolo of the Cordero winery : " The season started early, already on August 12th with the grapes destined for the Alta Langa, and then continued in the second half of the month with the white grape varieties, Dolcetto and Barbera. The yields are proving very good, in some cases even exceeding expectations. The high summer temperatures certainly affected the season's progress, but the abundant water reserves accumulated during the winter and spring allowed the vines to face the heat without particular suffering. "

Also from Piedmont, Zvonimir Jurkovic, winemaker at Poderi Luigi Einaudi, explains: " The 2026 harvest began on August 25th with the Dolcetto grapes and concluded on October 4th with the last Barolo Nebbiolos. It was an early vintage, in line with what we saw in 2023, but characterized by a longer harvest period. The first few weeks were heavily impacted by high temperatures, which led us to choose a harvest during the cooler hours of the day. The yield was very good, and the grapes arrived at the cellar in excellent health.

In Tuscany, at Caiarossa , Francesco Villa , winemaker at the biodynamic winery: " At Caiarossa, 2026 was characterized by a particularly rainy winter, which allowed the soil's water reserves to be replenished. After an early bud break favored by the heat of March and April, the season experienced a more balanced phase thanks to the abundant rains in May and a relatively cool start to June. With the start of summer, however, temperatures quickly soared, reaching peaks of 39°C, while the scarcity of rainfall continued until August.

We arrive in Calabria , with Paolo Librandi of Librandi: " The 2026 harvest in the Ciro area was overall very satisfactory. After three difficult years due to various problems (downy mildew, drought, and frost, respectively), this year the trend was much more favorable. A very rainy autumn and winter allowed the vines to accumulate abundant reserves that supported an excellent vegetative recovery and a good average bunch weight. Only the unusually hot weather in the second half of August led to a drop in grape weight, especially in the hilly, clay-rich areas. On the other hand, quality was generally high.

Landing in Sicily, specifically on the slopes of Etna, here is Benanti 's voice: " The cold and very rainy winter and the dry and sunny spring have created the conditions for a great vintage - underline Antonio and Salvino Benanti - both in terms of yield and quality of the grapes. The particularly hot summer led to early ripening and higher sugar concentrations than the previous year, then mitigated by the rains in September. The temperatures already clearly falling and the sunny days forecast for the first half of October will allow us to complete the harvest operations in the best possible way, bringing the curtain down on a harvest that was fully positive both in terms of yield and quality of the grapes ."

Finally, in the Aeolian Islands, on Lipari, Massimo Lentsch of Tenuta di Castellaro : " The true excellence of this vintage lies in the quality of the grapes harvested. Lipari's unique microclimate, with constant sea breezes, significant temperature variations between day and night, and the unique volcanic soils, protected the bunches, keeping them perfectly healthy and concentrated. The resilience of native vines such as Corinto Nero and Malvasia delle Lipari, together with the choice of head-trained vines for all our vineyards, allowed us to bring healthy, top-quality grapes to the cellar.