Dear friend,
This harvest is over, and considering the previous ones, we can only be satisfied! So here I am with the usual report, useful for understanding what happened over the last twelve months in this corner of Sicily.
The season began with a wet autumn, with rains that provided a sufficient supply of water (which had been lacking in recent years). Temperatures remained mild, however.
The winter was also rainy, allowing green manures to thrive and adding an excellent amount of organic matter to the soil.
Spring was unusually humid and less windy than usual. In particular, the “Moscato” grapes began to bud in early March, approximately 20 days later than the 2024 harvest. After chopping the green manure and applying the Preparation 500, we began the first phytosanitary treatments, but unlike previous springs, this year, in addition to sulfur, we also needed copper to contain attacks of downy mildew (a very rare mold in our area that compromises grape production). The white varieties had no problems because they had already finished flowering, while the “Nero d’Avola” vines were more affected because they were affected precisely during that delicate period. In those plots, we applied four treatments with sulfur, wettable copper, and kaolin, while for the whites, we also applied the Preparation 501 (“Corno Silica”) to provide more light energy to the plants. The vines developed vigorous shoots, unlike anything seen in years. The season concluded in May and June with rather cool temperatures.
Summer began with a July with below-average temperatures, except for the week between the 20th and 26th, when temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. To help the vines, we sprayed them with yarrow tea, which has excellent refreshing properties, and chamomile to mitigate any water stress.
We began harvesting the “Chardonnay” on August 8th, which we finished on August 11th. On the 12th, we began with the first plots of “Moscato” for “Muscatedda”. On the 18th, the grapes for our sweet wine “Uvalsole” were harvested: we spread the bunches on racks and dried them for nine days. The “Moscato” harvest was generous, with an average yield of 60 quintals/hectare (we finished on August 20th). The spontaneous fermentations of the white wines were regular, never reducing; the aromas were delicate and the palate very savory.
On September 1st, we began harvesting the “Nero d’Avola” grapes for our rosé, which yielded a must that I found very balanced, with excellent aromatics. As always, the “Rosa Nera” fermented spontaneously in barriques for about 12 days. From September 9th to 11th, we harvested the “Parrino” vineyard, which unfortunately was the plot most affected by downy mildew: compared to the average for recent years, we lost about 60 percent of the grapes. On September 12th, we harvested Archimede, our oldest vineyard. The yield was, as always, low, in line with past harvests. Next, it was the “Lenza Lunga” vineyard: its grapes are distinguished by their consistently remarkable freshness (we finished harvesting on September 23rd, and this vineyard also saw a decline in production).
This harvest had the advantage of having well-paced seasons, something I haven’t seen in a long time: a wet autumn and winter, a cool spring—though more humid than necessary—and a hot summer, but not as extreme as in recent years. The generosity of the Moscato compensated for the loss of Nero d’Avola, and we can also be satisfied, given that some vineyards in our area were completely damaged by downy mildew.
The wines: while we wait for the ripening, I’m completely satisfied with the results so far. As I mentioned, the “Nero d’Avola” wasn’t very plentiful, but it maintained its fullest expression of fruit purity in the tank. In short, we’re satisfied and can’t wait to share these wines with you!
Finally, here’s a brief summary of the conditions that characterized the latest harvests:
2020 – A regular, balanced, and productive year, without any particular agronomic challenges (the last one that didn’t challenge us in some way);
2021 – Hot, dry, and low-yielding, with very high-quality grapes but very low yields;
2022 – Marked by a severe leafhopper attack (across southeastern Sicily), which hindered grape ripening;
2023 – A very hot year, which stressed the vines;
2024 – An extraordinarily dry year, characterized by a lack of rain and very low yields.
See you soon,
Pierpaolo Messina