FROM NORTH TO SOUTH: THE VOICE OF THE CONSORTIA ON THE 2024 HARVEST

Italian Consortia: here is the Italian overview at a first glance.

ANTONIO RALLO, PRESIDENT OF THE CONSORTIUM FOR THE PROTECTION OF DOC WINE SICILIA "We confirm the forecasts announced in the days before the start of the harvest, in Sicily the quality of the grapes is excellent. The drought and the higher than average temperatures have generated a substantial advance in the beginning of the harvest. A notable decline in the quantity produced is expected (compared to the average of the previous 5 years) which will remain at the moderate volumes of last year". VITALIANO MACCARIO, PRESIDENT OF THE BARBERA D'ASTI E VINI DEL MONFERRATO CONSORTIUM “ At a quantitative and qualitative level, the expectations for the 2024 harvest are good, there were no particularly impactful events in this year, except for an increase in rainfall which affected all of Northern Italy. The lowering of temperatures during the flowering months has slightly delayed the start date of the harvest, which is scheduled for the first weeks of September for white grapes and then moving on to the harvest of red grapes towards the second half of the month of September. An excellent result that we can confirm also comes from the careful and correct approach of our companies from the point of view of phytosanitary treatments ". MASSIMO SEPIACCI, PRESIDENT OF UMBRIA TOP “ The 2024 harvest in Umbria - declares Massimo Sepiacci, President of Umbria Top, the cooperative society that brings together the majority of regional wine companies - promises to be good in terms of quantity and quality. Moreover, the region is characterized by a continental climate with Mediterranean influences: the hot summers and cold winters, together with the well-ventilated hills, create ideal conditions for viticulture. Although areas with clayey soil suffer a little less from the heat than areas with sandy soil, the quality of the grapes will be strongly influenced by the summer climatic conditions, because the plants could be affected, if this continues, by the drought and the heat that is characterizing the current season. As an element in favor of the qualitative yield of the current vintage, the absence of pathogenic elements certainly gives hope. We are therefore confident in some summer rain, but at the moment we do not expect a substantial advance in the harvesting phases ." RAFFAELE LIBRANDI, PRESIDENT OF THE CONSORTIUM FOR THE PROTECTION OF CIRÒ AND MELISSA DOC WINES . This year the producers of the Cirò and Melissa Consortium are confident for the success of the 2024 harvest, as the phytosanitary state of the vineyards is excellent, no diseases developed that affected the harvest. The meticulous care work carried out by the producers in the months preceding the harvest to make up for the water shortage led to results satisfactory. Compared to last year we started with the harvest of the international vines fifteen days earlier, as a result the bunches are slightly smaller than average; however, the quantity of grapes is higher than in 2023 and we expect a high harvest quality standards.