2026-08-31
The grape harvest has begun early in Valpolicella this year, with growers in one of Italy’s main red wine regions moving ahead of the usual schedule after a hot, dry summer accelerated ripening across the area’s vineyards.
The Consorzio Vini Valpolicella said Corvina grapes are already being picked in the denomination’s 19 municipalities, about two weeks earlier than the historical average and seven days ahead of last year. Corvinone and Rondinella, two other key varieties for the region’s wines, are expected to follow in the coming days.
The start of harvest places Valpolicella among the many European wine regions that have seen unusually early picking in 2026. Across the continent, vineyards from Burgundy and Champagne to Bordeaux and South Tyrol have also reported early harvest activity, driven largely by high temperatures and lack of rain.
In Valpolicella, the early harvest has so far been matched by positive expectations on quality. The consortium said that, if weather conditions remain stable, total grape production should come in at a little more than 861,000 quintals, roughly in line with 2025. But the available volume for the market is being reduced through a management measure designed to contain supply.
Under a production-limiting decision approved by the consortium in early April, 172,280 quintals, equal to 20% of output, will be set aside in storage. The move lowers the effective yield available from 100 to 80 quintals per hectare. The measure is intended to support the economic balance of the denomination at a time when global demand has slowed and producers are trying to avoid adding excess wine to an already cautious market.
The consortium also estimates that nearly 328,000 quintals of grapes, or 38% of the total harvest, could be reserved for drying, the process used to produce Amarone and Recioto, two of Valpolicella’s best-known wines. Initial quality checks by the denomination’s control body indicate that older vineyards have performed especially well, particularly those trained with the pergola system, which appears to have helped vines cope better with water stress. Vineyards with adequate irrigation have also shown stronger results.
Even with encouraging vineyard conditions, the commercial side of the season is causing concern. Christian Marchesini, president of the Consorzio Vini Valpolicella, said growers are seeing lower grape prices, especially for fruit destined for drying. He argued that the decline runs against the indications discussed at a supply chain meeting held by the consortium before the harvest and could place additional pressure on producers who have already accepted lower yields and storage rules to protect the denomination.
Marchesini said growers are also facing difficulty finding skilled workers and dealing with higher costs, especially for energy, while the market remains unpredictable. In that context, he called on all parts of the supply chain to respect previous commitments and act in line with the value of the denomination.
The picture is less uniform in other major Italian red wine regions, where the harvest is developing at different speeds depending on local conditions and grape varieties.
In the Langhe, the Piedmont area that produces Barolo and Barbaresco, producers are still waiting before starting the Nebbiolo harvest. Sergio Germano, president of the local consortium, said initial sampling suggests vines are running 5 to 10 days ahead of schedule, but growers are still waiting for full phenolic ripeness. He said harvesting should begin between mid- and late September if weather conditions remain favorable.
Germano said the region’s water reserves have helped prevent serious vine stress despite the warm season. He added that recent rain and cooler temperatures, especially the day-night temperature swings that Nebbiolo benefits from, have improved prospects for grape development in the final stretch before harvest.
In Tuscany, the timing varies by zone. In Bolgheri, some estates have already started picking Merlot and Syrah, according to Daniele Parri, director of the Consorzio Vini Bolgheri e Bolgheri Sassicaia. Cabernet Sauvignon, however, still needs more time and is expected to be harvested later unless weather conditions change.
In Chianti Classico, the consortium said some early-ripening varieties have already been harvested, but the key Sangiovese grapes used for the area’s flagship wines are still maturing. Growers are monitoring conditions closely before deciding when to begin broader harvesting.
The same pattern is being seen in Montalcino. Some grapes not intended for Brunello di Montalcino have already been picked, but the Sangiovese destined for Brunello remains on the vine. Giacomo Bartolommei, president of the local consortium, said the main harvest should begin in about 10 days. He said the area is expecting lower juice yields from the grapes, but very high quality.
Farther south, Abruzzo is still focused on white grapes such as Pecorino and Trebbiano. Alessandro Nicodemi, president of the Consorzio Vini d’Abruzzo, said drought is having an impact there as well and is expected to affect Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, the region’s major red wine. Harvesting of Montepulciano grapes is expected to start around mid-September.
On Mount Etna in Sicily, red grapes are still some way from harvest. Francesco Cambria, president of the Consorzio dei Vini Etna DOC, said white grapes should start being picked around mid-September, while the red harvest is expected between late September and early October, broadly in line with the area’s normal calendar.
The wide range of timing across Italy reflects the uneven effects of this year’s weather, with heat and drought pushing some areas forward while others have benefited from water reserves, rainfall, or cooler nights that slowed stress on the vines. In Valpolicella, where picking is already in full swing, growers are balancing promising fruit quality with a more difficult business environment shaped by weaker demand, lower prices, and stricter controls on how much wine reaches the market.