Wine News

An “’80s” style harvest with “fresher” wines

“The harvest has just begun, so I wouldn’t venture a forecast regarding quality: early varieties, especially in the South, have been harvested, but there is no definitive data so far. Weather will be key, but there is optimism”, Attilio Scienza, Professor of Viticulture at Milan University, told WineNews. 

“I think”, Scienza added, “that given the health of the grapes and of the plants we should be able to manage a few days of bad weather, which is bound to come from the Atlantic and we hope that the ripening continues. Speaking of wines, and of course these are opinions that are susceptible to changes, one could say that we are going back to the '80s, in terms of ripening, harvesting times and chemical composition. Very acidic musts, with growing amounts of sugar and also very coloured, so I think that we will get wines as we used to back then. Let us hope that the consumer notices this change and enjoys it. We might go back to lighter, fresher wines, but complex as well, with a long life. The wines that came from the ’80s were like that, and I hope that young people can appreciate a style of wine that they’ve not had the chance to taste, since those were the wines that have made our country great: the wines from Piedmont, from Veneto, from Tuscany and Sicily. And I believe, market operators would be looking for those wines today”. 

Scienza pointed out that those wines are not exactly better or worse, but a different style from the “very alcoholic, almost “marmalade-y” wines” dictated by California or Australia.

Luigi Moio, oenologist and Professor at the University of Naples says, “the only certainty for the 2013 harvest is that we’ll have more grapes, since we’ve had lots of rain, and an almost sub-tropical climate, from the Alps to Sicily. This, for those that have been able to cope with it, has given a great helping hand, since water has meant healthier grapes and higher quantities, but for others it has meant diseases for the plants themselves. All in all, September will be key to the current harvest: without a doubt, it has been a tough year, for a purely biological approach. 2013 wines will probably be fresher and more acid”.

“Gambero Rosso” special awards

Every edition of the “Gambero Rosso” wine guide, “Vini d’Italia”, has special awards, and these are the latest, as anticipated by WineNews: Alto Adige Pinot Bianco Sirmian 2012 by Nals Margreid is the best white, Amarone Classico della Valpolicella Calcarole 2009 by Guerrieri Rizzardi is the best red, Alta Langa Metodo Classico Zero 2007 by Enrico Serafino is the best sparkling and Orvieto Classico Superiore Muffa Nobile Calcaia 2010 by Barberani is the best dessert wine. 

The “winemaker of the year” award goes to Collemassari, the Tuscan estate whose HQ is at Poggio del Sasso, in Montecucco, with an unchallenged pre-eminence in the denomination from Maremma, but that also has Grattamacco at Bolgheri and Poggio di Sotto in Montalcino. 

Doro Princic from Friuli is the “grape-grower of the year” due to his pioneering work in Collio and his standards.

The “emerging winemaker” award goes to Tenuta Pala from Sardinia, and the “sustainable winemaking” award has gone to Salcheto, in Montepulciano.

The wine with the best price/quality ratio is Sicilian: Bianco Maggiore 2012 by Cantine Rallo.