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European Organic Wine Harvest 2019 Part 2 – Italy & Ribera y Rueda
Continuing with our organic wine harvest 2019 reports, we have a recap from Cantina Pizzolato in Veneto, Italy, Fattoria di Romignano in Tuscany and and Granza by Bodegas Familiares Matarromera from Ribera del Duero and Rueda, Spain.
La Cantina Pizzolato Organic Wine Harvest 2019
The 2019 harvest began later than usual, concentrating more in September. This harvest takes us back to harvests long ago, when the peasant families gathered to collect the fruits of a year harvests began later than normal. We will also return to harvest the Raboso grapes in November, which has not happened for many years.
From the careful vision of the first buds, it was immediately clear that after the generous harvest of last year, the vines would produce less. The intense rains of May endangered the health of the plant and the protection of the grapes, which only those who are timely in organic treatments can protect. Organic farming in fact consists of a key element, namely the constant monitoring of plants that in our vineyard is carried out by three experienced agronomists. They are charged with the tasks of treating the plant and acting in a preventive manner, recognizing the small signals so that they do not get sick. The non-dry summer gave the plant a good balance by obtaining, especially in the white varieties, bunches with well-balanced acidity and freshness.
Doing organic farming means changing one’s way of seeing things, changing one’s point of view and it is a condition that you choose only if it belongs to you. The attention to every detail, to compliance with the rules and regulations, as well as to the guidelines of the certifications obtained, is crucial. Organic farming is our lifestyle, which is why in addition to the precise attention in the vineyard, the sustainability of the company also applies in the cellar. One of the examples of this year was certainly the destination of our pomace. In fact, we have sent about 2000 quintals of pomace (marc) to a family company called Vegoil SRL of Carbonara di PO which, by drying them, obtains the pips which, with a cold treatment, produce an oil rich in nourishing properties to be used on our tables daily. The waste is then used for biomass and vetal fertilizer plants.
Unique Characteristics of this Year’s Vintage
For Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, suitable for sparkling wines, we must be able to preserve a good freshness and an excellent acidity, avoiding a high sugar level. For this reason the plots chosen for the grapes that will produce Pinot Grigio sparkling wine, the new entry of the year 2019 and the spumante “Frederik” of Chardonnay, the historic wine of the company of which the first bottle was produced in 1994, are harvested a few days earlier.
For the harvest of grapes for our still Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay wines we waited an additional week to get the right concentration of sugars.
In the plains of our DOC Prosecco area, the harvest began on 9 September and lasted for 15 days with the greatest concentration of work. The grapes were golden with a good degree of acidity, and descriptors typical of Prosecco: the typical aromas of white flowers, acacia and wisteria and white pear fruit and apple are very exalted and well present. The harvest we would like to highlight is the one dedicated to the production of our Prosecco with no added sulfites, whose grapes have been well selected and collected with particular care to be able to guarantee the best fruits for this delicate wine.
The prosecco grapes in the hills instead were harvested towards the end of September: the lower yield per hectare and the temperature range of the weeks preceding the harvest, with warm days and cool nights, have certainly benefited the white glera grapes that will give us one of the best years for the Stefany Prosecco Valdobbiadene.
The red grapes, in particular our Merlot and Cabernet, were very healthy with an excellent and high degree of alcohol. Vines characterized by red fruit aromas and, given the maturity of the vintage, a good structure. The experience gained on wines without added sulfites, which we have been producing since 2007, makes us very confident about the excellent results that these grapes will give in the bottles of this line.
Fattoria di Romignano Organic Wine Harvest 2019
The harvest at Fattoria di Romignano in Tuscany this year was also stellar. The winemaker behind Pizzolato Chianti and Chianti Naturale, Riccardo Rossi tells us:
“Harvest 2019 was the best of the last 10 years. It started a little bit later (September 20th) because the season started in spring time with cold temperature and rain and the vine was lazy to start. From June we had a perfect season with hot days and some perfect rain when it was necessary. The vines was perfectly healthy all the season and the maturation perfect in all the development. We will obtain wines with a great color and perfectly balanced.”
Agrinatura Biodynamic Wine Harvest 2019
Further south, our Biodynamic winery partners Agrinatura in Puglia, Italy also report a great vintage ahead: “The 2019 harvest dates were: white grapes August 25-October 4, red grapes October 10-25. This was later than usual. It rained a lot during May and June, followed by a warm period of weather, causing a delay in ripening. It is wonderful that we got intact bunches up to October. The grapes were in good condition despite the significant delay of ripening. This year’s harvest was quite different from the past. The grapes were optimally ripened: red grapes with full phenolic ripeness (resulting red wines rich in tannins and anthocyanins); white grapes that will result in highly aromatic wines.”
Matarromera Granza Organic Wine Harvest 2019
Harvest date were little bit earlier than expected:
Ribera del Duero from September 24th to October 14th
Toro September 28th – October 2nd
Rueda September 16th – September 27th
This year has been very dry, especially the spring, resulting in a low production by kilogram but with really high quality and very concentrated grapes.
The unusual dry spring has produced grapes with amazing color, overall in the Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero. These grapes will produce powerful wines with full body and intensity of fruity aromas. These grapes are also perfect for aging the wine in oak. Overall 2019 will be an excellent vintage!
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