The Consortium for the Protection of Prosecco DOC, in the light of the first data, is satisfied with this first 2024 harvest balance, which sees a good quantitative and qualitative level of the grapes, consistent with the peculiarities defined by the production regulations. This year’s was by no means an easy vintage from a climatic point of view, but thanks to the expertise of the operators, it was possible to achieve what looks like an excellent result. As indicated, in the entire area of the appellation, three different periods were recorded in terms of weather conditions:
The first
The first, from April to early July, was characterized by frequent and abundant rainfall, even with temperatures below normal, which allowed adequate development of the leaf wall. Thanks to the presence of storm windows characterized by good weather, particularly during the phenological stages of flowering and fruit set, the production load was also able to develop properly.
The second
The second, between July and August, was characterized by modest rainfall (in areas with greater skeleton presence, in fact, irrigation was necessary) and, above all, by high maximum temperatures, even above 35°C. In order to safeguard the quality of the grapes, compared to the past where defoliation operations were also carried out, operators adopted special precautions for the management of the leaf wall, avoiding the “sunburn” of the grapes.
The third
The third, in September, was characterized by the sudden drop in temperatures and abundant rainfall.
With the final stage of maturation, September is the month in which the quality of future wine production is determined. As for 2024, climatic conditions were good, as the “technological maturity” for obtaining quality sparkling wines was reached in the middle two weeks of the month, where temperatures had already dropped, thus allowing the preservation of the aromatic profile and transport to the winery of grapes at suitable temperatures, so also a reduction in costs and energy consumption for cooling the product. In addition, time windows with sunny days presented themselves, allowing the harvest to be properly organized; in fact, the productions presented an excellent sanitary quality, which is fundamental for obtaining sparkling wines, as subsequent processing would amplify the possible presence of defects.
Evaluation of the first vinified productions
From the evaluation of the first vinified productions, it is found that, thanks to the excellent sanitary condition of the grapes and the above-mentioned September climatic conditions, the base wine suitable to become Prosecco DOC presents an elegant sensory profile of floral scents with a delicate intensity that will be amplified on the nose, in the coming months through refermentation, with perlage.
From the taste point of view, considering the moderate alcohol content (8.5-9.0% vol.) and the good presence of acidity, although put to the test by the hot days of August, to date the sparkling bases appear slender and savory. Considering, however, that after the vinification will begin the aging in steel – often with the presence of the noble residues of yeast – and taking into account that the sparkling gives the product creaminess, freshness and balance, we expect that producers and consumers can be satisfied with the campaign just ended, with an organoleptic sensory quality consistent with that which determined the success of Prosecco in the market.
