The forecasts for the beginning of the harvest are confirmed with a decrease in quantity, already initially estimated, which stands at an average of 15 percent compared to 2019.
According to the growers of the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Doc Sicilia, the outcome of the 2020 harvest is positive and overall records a good quality of the grapes compared to the data on the decrease in the harvest.
"We consider the balance of this harvest to be quite positive for several reasons. The first of all is that we have been aiming for some time to favor the quality of our wines" comments Antonio Rallo , president of the Consortium for the protection of Doc Sicilia wines. "The drop in grapes harvested, recorded on average throughout the island during the campaign which is now over, confirms that we will not have a large production in 2020. The wine that will be packaged will be of excellent quality".
In fact, important signals also come from the stock data of Sicilian wine, both Igt and Doc. As of 11 September 2020, between bottled and in bulk, 18% less wine is in stock in Sicily compared to the same period in 2019: from 2,522,780 hectoliters it has gone to 2,073,240 hectoliters today.
Furthermore, from 1 July to 15 September, compared to the same period last year, there was a 15 percent increase in bottles produced by the Doc Sicilia denomination.
From the testimonies of the producers, here is an overview of the grape harvest in Sicily.
Nicolò Vinci, councilor of the Consorzio Doc Sicilia, producer in the province of Trapani
"In the face of an excellent general quality of the grapes, in the Trapani area we recorded a drop in production of 20-25 percent compared to last year. The harvest, which is almost at the end, had a peculiarity: along the coastal strip between Marsala and Mazara there was a good result linked to quantity; in the hinterland - which extends as far as Salemi, Gibellina and Castelvetrano - the reduction in yield was more evident. The greatest decrease in quantity is mainly linked to two factors. In some areas the vines were attacked by late blight due to the rains that fell in early June. Then there was a delay in the timing in which the land reclamation consortia supplied water to some countryside, thus putting the growers in difficulty. The quality of the grapes however, it is better than last year: the bunches arrived healthy in the cellars and have 1 or 2 degrees higher than those of the past harvest, which will allow to have excellent wines. The whites are all of excellent quality, from Catarratto to Grecanico to Zibibbo. And Grillo expressed the best of himself both from a qualitative and a quantitative point of view ".
Lilly Fazio, vice president of Assovini, producer in the province of Trapani
"On the northern side of the province of Trapani, in the territory of Mount Erice, the harvest has differentiated on the varieties with a delay in harvesting times ranging between 10 and 14 days, especially for white grapes. The cooling of temperatures and rains late spring and early summer delayed the vegetative-productive development, especially in the areas of medium and high hills. For the phyto-sanitary aspects, the grapes harvested are healthy and of good quality. In some vineyards - especially the lower and less Ventilated-, there were problems with Peronospora, but they were immediately well managed. There is a drop in production in Chardonnay and partly for Grillo grapes, substantially on average for red grapes. On wines it is still premature an in-depth evaluation, but the conditions are more than excellent, especially for the ripeness reached by the red grapes ".
Mario Di Lorenzo, producer in the province of Palermo
"In these days we are finishing the harvest of the red grapes with a fairly regular harvest, with healthy and perfectly intact grapes. Perhaps the best harvest of the last five years. The companies in the Monreale area have slightly anticipated the harvest times at the end of July. with the spumante bases, especially Chardonnay, the first grape to be harvested. Then we continued with the Grillo grapes, where there was a small increase in production compared to 2019. Catarratto also did well. They will be whites with great aromas and good acidity. During the pre-ripening phase, on consecutive hot days, in some cases emergency irrigation was carried out. The average yield per hectare seems to be in line with the average production standards, between 70 and 90 quintals for hectare. The harvest will close towards the end of September with the harvest of the later grapes of Perricone for the natives and of Cabernet for the international ones ".
Alessio Planeta, member of the board of directors of Doc Sicilia
"The quality of the grapes this year has an extra gear. I had not recorded a harvest with such good results for at least ten years. The weather conditions were fantastic: it was a summer that was not too hot and the recent rains helped the Late varieties. In the Mamertino area the harvest ended on Friday with the Nocera harvest. In Menfi we are finishing the harvest of late grapes such as Grecanico and Cabernet. The general decrease in quantity is in line with the current moment in which prudence is recorded in wine consumption, and this allows us to see the glass ... half full. Nero d'Avola and Grillo, especially in western Sicily, have an extraordinary quality, with great concentration and freshness of the grapes. "
Chiantia Salvatore, member of the board of directors of Doc Sicilia, producer in the province of Caltanissetta
"The Nero d'Avola that we are completing to harvest in these days has an excellent quality, I would say better than last year. From a quantitative point of view, we recorded a slight increase in the grapes harvested, also thanks to the admission of new partners to the main reality. production in the area. The harvest was positive both in the province of Caltanissetta, where there is the greatest number of growers, and in the Agrigento area between the countryside of Palma Montechiaro, Canicattì, Favara, Naro. The rains of these days, followed by climatically favorable days, did not alter the sugar content of the grapes. We are therefore confident about the results we will be able to obtain also from a commercial point of view ".
Achille Alessi, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG and Vittoria DOC
"In our vineyards the harvest that is still underway is giving an excellent harvest, and this also thanks to the so far ideal climate. The Frappato and Cerasuolo grapes are healthy and have a good sugar content; they almost seem - if you pass the term - of porcelain . Nero d'Avola will have further positive performances even compared to last year: in spite of what happened in 2020, nature is giving us grapes of excellent quality. Our vineyards extend over a vast territory that goes from the countryside of Gela, close to the sea, up to 600 meters above sea level in the Caltagirone area, passing through the Ragusano countryside. The harvest should be completed at the end of next week, now close to October ".
Nino Di Marco, Doc Eloro, producer from the Noto area
"We have harvested grapes of excellent quality, mainly Nero d'Avola, perfect from a health point of view: not a single grape was attacked by mold. A result due to the favorable climatic conditions: between June and July there were no high temperatures and the rains arrived late avoiding, as happened in the past, that the rains on the eve of August 15th would damage the plants. Compared to the previous harvest there is a 10 percent drop in the harvest of red grapes, the same data is recorded by the grapes white, in this area the Moscato. ".
