Falstaff takes a peek at Italian super-brand Piccini 1882’s harvest report – and the signs are good.
With vineyards across some of the major wine-producing areas of Italy, Piccini 1882 is a major force on the Italian wine scene operating in 80 countries worldwide. Based in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, the family-owned company has more than 200 hectares under vine from the wild coastlines of the Maremma, home of the original super-Tuscans, to the volcanic slopes of Etna in Sicily and Vulture in Basilicata. Their annual harvests offer a barometer for some of the key areas in central and southern Italy - and the reports are promising this year.
In a year that will be remembered for higher than average winter temperatures followed by an unprecedented heat wave, conditions have certainly been challenging. Lack of rain over the summer months and accompanying record temperatures saw drought conditions across the whole Italian peninsula, in common with much of Europe. As Marco Cerqua, Piccini’s Technical Director makes clear this type of weather is not all bad news, however. Without the added pressure of fungal diseases that heavy summer rains bring, winemakers are able to limit their interventions in the vineyard whilst still achieving a balanced, healthy crop. Success also depends on the right vineyard preparations, of course, or “fundamental work”, as company head Mario Piccini puts it. At their Chianti Classico estate, for example, they worked hard to ensure that the abundant spring rains could penetrate deep into the soil to create adequate water reserves for later in the year.
Despite forward planning, it’s not surprising to learn that this year’s yield in Chianti is below the 10-year average. But whilst quantity is down, quality is up, it seems. And Piccini is reporting a similar situation at its Tenuta Moraia estate over on the Tuscan coast – a smaller crop but one of excellent quality fruit. In particular, they are predicting a good year for their whites and rosés.
Meanwhile, in the south, on the volcanic slopes of Etna and Vulture, the harvests have come earlier than usual. Nevertheless, the large diurnal range (temperature difference between day and night), together with increased altitude and a cooling northerly wind on Etna, have ensured a long and gradual growing season – ideal conditions for developing flavour and balance. And yields are up here too. Despite freak hail causing some localised damage at the end of August, the estates in Vulture are also reporting a harvest in line with previous years. The lack of water does not seem to have unduly affected the vines here either. The Piccini family is ascribing at least some of the success in Basilicata to an organic approach to disease prevention, particularly the ever-present dangers of Botrytis bunch rot.
Overall, Piccini is reporting an excellent grape harvest from across its portfolio this year. And where yields might have dipped somewhat, the quality, it seems, has been maintained, giving high hopes for the 2022 vintage.
