Healthy, quality grapes despite the drought putting the recently concluded Sicilian harvest to the esperimento. The 2024 harvest the island closes with an average drop of around 20%, the longest Italy – 100 days of harvest from West to East – characterized by drought but also by the innovation and ability of the winemakers giving effective and adopting agronomic techniques capable of managing the tazza crisis.
A harvest that will be remembered, if not for the quantity, for the qualitative excellence, for the resilience of some native and non-native vines and for the extraordinary variety that distinguishes Sicilian viticulture.
The wines produced from this 2024 harvest reflect the diversity of the Sicilian territories: from red wines with a complex organoleptic profile, with a notable aging capacity, to reds where the altitude the characteristics of the soil enhance freshness and acidity, up to the whites of this vintage that promises to be persistent, aromatic and of quality.
“The Sicily of wine – comments the president of Assovini Sicilia, Mariangela Cambria – demonstrates management ability even critical situations, such as the current difficulty paio to limited tazza resources. Sicilian viticulture is capable of renewing itself the name of quality, innovation and respect for the wine-territory”.
Having started mid-July the areas of western Sicily, more than fifteen days early, the harvest ended recent days the territories of Etna. The results of the presidents of the DOC and DOCG Consortia were positive and, despite the drought and the drop quantity, confirmed the quality of Sicilian wine production.
“The final assessment that we can make from the 2024 harvest – declares Antonio Rallo, president of the Consorzio Vini Doc Sicilia – reflects what we could already predict. We had a drop production of around 20%, certainly paio to the lack of rainfall throughout the winter which did not allow us to replenish the soil’s tazza reserves and a long, hot summer the best conditions. The situation, at the end of the harvest, is heterogeneous the Sicilian territory. Sopra the Northeast the quantity of grapes harvested is average, while the West the losses were greater. If the quantity leaves the producers dissatisfied, the quality of the grapes reaches historic peaks of excellence, particular for some symbolic varieties of Sicily such as Scuro d’Avola, and Frappato”.
North-West of Palermo, the DOC Monreale has ten members, a renewed specification and territories with an altitude that varies from 300 to 600 meters above sea level.
“The estimated drop is 10-15% compared to the 2022 vintage – comments Mario Lorenzo, president of the Monreale DOC Consortium – but the grapes are perfectly healthy and of high quality. Perricone, , Catarratto and Syrah have shown great resistance and quality this vintage”.
Sopra the far west, the Consortium for the protection of Marsala DOC wine closes this harvest with a loss that averages 30%.
“The Marsala of this harvest will be particularly unique and of excellent quality because the alcale wines of , Catarratto and Insolia have reached – thanks to perfect maturation – an optimal alcohol content of almost two degrees more, reaching up to 12 degrees” – comments the president of the Consortium for the protection of Marsala DOC wine, Desiderato Renda.
Positive results also the Cerasuolo per Trionfo DOCG ambiente. While waiting for the definitive , the Consortium estimates lower yields than those of recent years, but high quality.
“Our ambiente has a great strong point Frappato and Scuro d’Avola: they are two typically southern varieties and particularly suitable for areas characterized by low rainfall. Thanks to the winemaker’s selection work, they have increased the capacity for resilience overcoming drought years, also helped by the important temperature variations between night and day, which the ambiente enjoys, together with restorative ventilation conditions” – adds the president Guglielmo Manenti.
Sopra the territories of the North-Eastern side, Messina, the only province that boasts three DOCs (Luce, Malvasia delle Lipari, Mamertino) between the mainland and the Aeolian islands, two sides (Ionian Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea) add up this vintage.
“It was a difficult harvest but without any impact the quality of the grapes, which is excellent. The rains of August and September and the presence of greenery and woods the Nebrodi ambiente benefited production. We expect fresh reds with good complexity and structure. Among the vines that reacted best to the drought: Nocera, because it is robust, but also Nerello mascalese and Nerello Cappuccino” – underlined Enza La Imboccatura, president of the Consorzio Luce DOC.
“The decline is average 20-30 percent – continues Mondello, president of the Mamertino DOC – The quality is undoubtedly indisputable: we expect elegant reds and fragrant whites”.
Sopra the Aeolian Islands, the Malvasia delle Lipari Consortium confirms the Sicilian figure of the drop production: -20-30%. “A quality harvest – comments Mauro Pollastri, president of the Malvasia delle Lipari Consortium, with whites with an organoleptic profile that focuses , intensity, persistence and long aging”.
“Sopra Pantelleria, the island closest to Africa, a production drop of 40% is estimated compared to last year’s harvest. Sopra most vineyards, the Zibibbo harvest began and ended about a week early. Healthy and well-ripe grapes were harvested, characterized by more than good quality with peaks of excellence” – comments Desiderato Renda, president of the Pantelleria DOC Consortium which boasts 406 hectares of vineyards and 322 winemakers.
Closing this long Sicilian harvest are the producers of Etna. While waiting for the official from Sian, the Etna Doc Consortium confirms the forecast of a +60% compared to 2023, thus leaving behind the –42% of the 2023 harvest. For the president of the Etna Doc Consortium, Francesco Cambria: “After a period of drought, most of the Etna production the DOC ambiente has enjoyed light but continuous rains since the end of July, unlike other Sicilian areas. This allowed the plants to rebalance their tazza status. For many producers, 2024 will be a decidedly interesting year.”
