Prosecco DOC Harvest 2018

As we draw closer to the final wine harvests of the year, the Tutelary Consortium for Prosecco DOC is anticipating one of the best productions for the Italian sparkling wine after near to perfect conditions continue.

Stefano Zanette, the President of the Consortium describes the conditions for all the grapes used in the production of Prosecco as perfect. The favourable weather has permitted not only the proper development of the grapes, but also the optimal phytosanitary status.

These conditions find themselves in the north-eastern part of Italy on a flat type plain with some hilly areas. The climate of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia lends itself to these conditions, as the area is usually temperate with the mountainous chain of the Alps to the north, acting as a barrier to the cold northern currents and to the south, the Adriatic Sea, which is the main route through which the Sirocco winds arrive, giving rise to sufficient rainfall, especially throughout the summer months. This rainfall lowers the temperature and brings necessary quantities of water to the vine in the stages of shoot and cluster growth.

At the beginning of 2018, the unusually cold temperatures leftover from the previous year worried the 10,242 winegrowers that are part of the Consortium. However, as Zanette explains: “the vegetative cycle of the vines has maintained these years’ average, allowing to overcome the difficulties due to the cold temperatures at the end of the winter that last year compromised a significant part of the production. In April and May the temperatures above the average and the right hydric contribution have accelerated the vegetative development, so that the blossom has begun in middle May. The absence of rain has then allowed the perfect conclusion of this phase and the beginning of the setting (the formation of small berries).”

The favourable weather conditions of the DOC region have been welcomed in the past months, and last weekend’s rain was the perfect addition, as Zanette points out, “the rain and the lower temperatures were exactly what we had been hoping for days. The forecast for the upcoming harvest is optimistic, as colder nights and a wider difference in temperatures between day and night help augment the aroma and will enhance the quality of the grapes.”

Thanks to the temperatures and the weather all the grape varieties that will be used for producing Prosecco DOC are developing in these weeks their ideal composition, with their characteristic aroma and the exact acidic profile, which will provide Prosecco DOC its freshness, finesse and pleasantness.

If the conditions are maintained then it means great flavour and the best acidic profile within the 24,450 hectares of the Prosecco DOC region. The harvest will begin in the last days of August, and the UK consumers can expect to get their hands on it at the end of the year.