Lorenzo Biscontin
The harvest of the Pinot Grigio DOC delle Venezie has begun in recent days, the largest Italian denomination with 27 hectares of vineyards located between the Province of Trento, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The geographical extension implies differences in the climate trend and therefore also in the harvest times.
The first to begin were the winemakers of Western Veneto who began this week and are expected to finish the harvest around mid-September.
The vineyards of Friuli Venezia Giulia follow, where the harvest began in recent days and is expected to conclude in about ten days.
At the beginning of next week the harvest will begin in Eastern Veneto, while in Trentino it will be delayed by a few days compared to 2023 and will begin in early September.
Alberto Marchisio, Matteo Lovo, Michele Zanardo, and Goffredo Pasolli, President of the Assoenologi sections of the four different territories report excellent quality grapes everywhere. The beginning of the year was complicated by a rainy spring that required a particular commitment from the winemakers to intervene in defense of the vineyard from a phytosanitary point of view, preventing the development of fungal diseases, downy mildew in the first place. The continuation of the season with warm temperatures then allowed an excellent recovery of the ripening and the rains after mid-August refreshed, especially at night, leading to the perfect completion of the aromatic content of the grapes.
This excellent news from a technical winemaking point of view is the basis for the excellent news from an economic point of view: the prices of the grapes fluctuate between 0.53 and 0.58 €kg, slightly up compared to the same period last year. An even more positive result considering that the Protection consortium for the 2024 harvest has increased the quantity of free production up to 140 quintals/ha, 10 quintals/ha more than last year.
A sign of optimism in the current wine scenario characterized by drops in consumption recorded on all world markets, underlined by the President of the Consortium Albino Armani “A result that goes against the average situation of the national wine sector, particularly important considering a complex, but not casual, economic moment of the national and world market. It is a growth path of the denomination, just begun, linked to the application of the supply management measures approved by our Board of Directors, which contribute to maintaining a condition of market stability and a quality/price ratio that, combined with the guarantees provided by the State mark applied to 230 million bottles produced each year, is unparalleled. In such a path, the objective is to be able to work so that all categories of the supply chain can find recognition and adequate margins, a necessary condition to carry on their business and work with high quality standards”. A result that suggests some important strategic considerations for the entire sector:
• The wine industry is not a monolithic unicum, but rather a heterogeneous sector in which different proposals are found both in terms of production and purchasing and consumption behaviors. There is therefore room to adapt and respond to the changes taking place in the market scenario.
• Pinot Grigio is not a trend destined to wane, as many predicted already 10 years ago, but it is a wine that has been able to develop an interesting and relevant proposal for a very large number of consumers. Above all, it has kept the characteristics of this proposal constant in terms of the wine’s profile and price level, thus consolidating a specific and coherent marketing positioning thanks to the creation and distribution of value for all operators in the supply chain.
Pinot Grigio thus breaks away from the chorus of exclusivity and premiumization, proposing a successful experience based on inclusive strategies capable of maintaining and expanding the audience of wine consumers.
