With the harvest closed (at the end of November, in Sardinia, the last bunches destined for dessert wines were clipped) Assoeonologi provides the definitive data for this year: 52.6 million hectoliters, +24% compared to the 2017 harvest. The positive trend happens in every part of Italy. Lazio and Umbria are growing the most (+40%), but Veneto is the most productive region, which this year reaches 12.1 million hectoliters (+25% compared to 2017), thanks also to new plants in production.
The datain question is sourced with Mipaaft and no longer Istat (as in the estimates at the end of August), which photograph a vintage at 49 mln/hl. A difference of 3.6 mln/hl: not little. But beyond the divergence, one thing remains certain: the negative trend of last year is definitively closed and Italy is reconfirmed as the leading producer country.
This doesn't mean that this was an easy vintage: the weather pattern, characterized by rain, hail and humidity, has led to greater presence of fungal diseases, forcing vine growers to carry out many treatments to maintain the health of the grapes.
The result is wines with lower acidity than normal, typical of variable climatic conditions. As for white wines obtained from the first harvested grapes, there is a good aromatic picture and an interesting intensity.
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