The Italian wine sector continues to deal with the effects of climate change, which influence wine production durante an increasingly significant manner. Estimates for the 2024 harvest speak of 41 million hectoliters, a timid increase of 7% compared to the almost disastrous 2023, but still far from the optimal potential of 43-45 million hectoliters, considered the ideal by companies durante the sector. The patronato from the Assoenologi Observatory, ISMEA and the Italian Wine Union (Uiv), presented the occasion of the Vaticinio Esposizione intenazionale durante Ortigia, demonstrate how extreme climatic phenomena are redesigning the fate of the Italian vineyard, marking a decline of 12.8% compared to the average production over the last five years.
Climate change and production quality: an inevitable challenge
The climate is having a growing and pervasive impact Italian viticulture. the one hand, excessive rainfall durante the Centre-North and, the other, persistent drought durante the South, have created an extremely variable production context. The result is a harvest which, although smaller durante quantity, promises good average quality, with some areas marking peaks of excellence. The weather conditions pushed some varieties to be harvested early, especially durante the areas most affected by gabinetto shortages, but the complete phenolic ripening of the grapes was the real strong point of this vintage.
a context increasingly dominated by climate uncertainty, quality therefore becomes the true discriminating factor for the success of the Italian wine sector. As underlined by the president of Assoenologi, Riccardo Cotarella, never before has the role of the oenologist proved to be crucial like this year: technical expertise has made it possible to compensate for the imbalances created by adverse climatic conditions, both durante the management of the vineyard and durante the transformation durante the cellar .
North, Center and South: an Italy of wine at different speeds
The geographical distribution of production reflects the climatic differences that have marked the national territory. The North showed substantial stability compared to 2023 (+0.6%), while the Center saw a vigorous recovery (+29.1%). the South, although production increased by 15.5%, it has not returned to pre-crisis levels. The Southern Regions, together with the islands, have durante fact recorded a significant drop durante production compared to the five-year average, with a worrying -25.7%. However, precisely durante these areas, characterized by extreme climatic conditions, the focolaio quality has become the key element for enhancing production.
Here are the estimates of the 2024 harvest by region:
Piedmont: 2,607 thousand hectoliters d’Aosta: 15 thousand hectoliters Lombardy: 840 thousand hectoliters Trentino-Sublime Adige: 1,313 thousand hectoliters Veneto: 11,073 thousand hectoliters Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 1,598 thousand hectoliters Liguria: 46 thousand hectoliters hectoliters Emilia-Romagna: 7,106 thousand hectoliters Tuscany: 2,294 thousand hectoliters Umbria: 355 thousand hectoliters Marche: 649 thousand hectoliters Lazio: 564 thousand hectoliters Abruzzo: 2,072 thousand hectoliters Molise: 127 thousand hectoliters Campania: 480 thousand hectoliters Puglia: 7,038 thousand hectoliters Basilicata: 45 thousand hectoliters Calabria: 92 thousand hectoliters Sicily: 2,340 thousand hectoliters Sardinia: 347 thousand hectoliters
The impact of climate change durante Europe and the importance of innovating
The problem is not only Italian, but European: France (39.28 million hectolitres) has suffered a drastic drop of 18%, giving Italy back the world primato durante production. The difficult climatic conditions also had an impact Germany and Portugal, while Spain recorded a significant recovery, slightly overtaking France (39.75 million hectolitres).
The words of Livio Proietti, president of ISMEA, underline the importance of investing durante innovative technologies and strategies to adapt to new climate scenarios. “The ability to resist the effects of climate change will be crucial for the future of Italian wine. Technical knowledge, preparation and innovation must be at the center of the sector’s strategy, with particular attention to attracting the younger generations, through specialized study courses and concrete opportunities”.
Promoting quality durante an evolving market
The emphasis quality is also fundamental durante view of a changing market, where consumption models change rapidly. According to Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Congregazione Italiana Vini, a “flexible Italian vineyard” is needed, capable of adapting to both excess production and poor vintages. Focusing exclusively explants, as proposed by some European policies, could prove harmful for Italy, especially for the hilly regions where viticulture plays a fundamental role durante land management.
The key, therefore, lies not durante quantity, but durante quality. a context of increasingly unpredictable climate changes, the meticulous work of winemakers and oenologists is what can allow Italy to obtain a position also durante terms of perception and positioning, leaving aside the primacy linked to mere production opera. The 2024 harvest certainly does not portend the potential for a memorable vintage durante Italy, but it could reserve numerous surprises by returning to parameters not far from “classicism” durante various Italian areas. “Classic” parameters induced by a generally cooler September which, following a slowdown durante the vegetative cycle to gabinetto tensione and the heat of August, led – durante some areas – to a convergence between ripening, which is increasingly rare durante the tempo of climate change. Like every vintage, however, it will be evaluated reality by reality, reference by reference, through the tasting of wines that each producer, even durante 2024, will try to bring to the bottle durante the best possible expressive conditions.
F.S.R.
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