Harvest 2022: A Summary from Volio’s Producers
Volio’s producers have been hard at work harvesting grapes that will go into creating their 2022 vintages. With each winery experiencing their own unique challenges and triumphs, read on to learn the origin stories of some of the wines that end up in glasses across the U.S.
Cantine Povero began by harvesting their Arneis. Little rain and much higher than average temperatures from May caused a 30% lower yield compared to the previous year. However, the grapes were healthy and beautiful. They started harvest two weeks earlier compared to 2021 and used dried ice (solid CO2) kept at a temperature of -78.5°C (-109,3°F) to prevent the formation of undesired fermentations. Dried ice also enhances the aromas naturally present in the skins of the Arneis, such as yellow and white flowers, apple, pear, and peach. To Cantine Povero, harvest is the most intense and hectic period of the year. The whole family is involved in it, each with their own role, and every year, new technologies are applied and the results of new research allow them to continually improve upon the quality of wine.
Below you can see Gamay and Merlot grapes from Fattoria Il Palagio that will go into creating wines like their Chianti “Cellini”.
Scacciadiavoli harvested Sagrantino grapes for their Vino Spumante Brut Metodo Classico and Vino Spumante Brut Metodo Classico Rosato, which uses the sparkling traditional method. The Sagrantino grape is known principally as a red wine grape, but it can be used equally well in other contexts: vinified as a white wine is the original base for these fun bottles of bubbles.
Felline harvested their Primivito grapes, which will go into making their Anarkos, Primitivo di Manduria, and Monili wines. They were the first to champion the Primitivo grape in the Puglia region, previously only used to produce cheap bulk wine. Their innovation has shaped the culture of Southern Italian wine and is pushing the limits of varietally correct expressions of their diverse grape varieties.
Le Colture’s full-on harvest mode meant everyone was lending a hand … or a paw. The bottles that leave this vineyard, year after year, are the result of the efforts of a well assorted and close-knit family clan. Each member of the family is directly involved in every production phase—running the management of the vines, selecting the grapes, various stages of the winemaking, all through to marketing and sales.
Fantinel first harvested their Pinot Grigio and Glera grapes! Glera is used for their delicate, floral, and pleasurably soft Prosecco Extra Dry. Pinot Grigio makes both their subtle, aromatic, and fruity Tenuta Sant’Helena Pinot Grigio, as well as their floral and zesty Borgo Tesis Pinot Grigio. Later, their red grapes were harvested. The climatic trend of this vintage allowed their bunches—Merlot, Refosco, and Cabernet Sauvignon—to enjoy an optimal health status, with a high concentration of polyphenols and a remarkable aromatic development. So, what will Fantinel 2022 reds be like? Definitely wines with great structure and intensity! Now it is up to their oenologists to continue the work done by nature.
(Photos: Fabrice Gallina)
41.8 ml. Why is this number so important? This is not a new special format for Rivetto wines. This is the total rainfall received in the period prior to the Nebbiolo harvest, precisely between August 6th and September 24th. A year characterized by heat and drought — especially in the Serralunga d’Alba area, which turned out to be the least rainy part of the Barolo area thanks to this relatively small amount of fallen water — ended with optimistic expectations for the Nebbiolo from Barolo, limiting quantitative damage. The data was collected by the weather station in Lirano which noted the sequence in this way: 9.2 ml, 0.2 ml, 15.6 ml, 7.4 ml, 0.2 ml, 2.2 ml, 7 ml.
This is a grand total of 41.8 ml of water, which proved to be invaluable for another year of great quality!
At Salicutti, harvest began on the 5th of September. In sunny Montalcino the grapes were quite mature and fortunately, the rains helped to procure what is sure to become great wines for the year.
It happens, during the great vintages, that when Borgo del Tiglio decides their cuvées, their palate is adjusted upwards after weeks and months of tasting excellent samples. Rare are the musicians that can say they have perfect pitch — the ability to recognize a note without context. According to Borgo del Tiglio, “we certainly do not have a ‘perfect palate,’ so when we are used to tasting excellence, good becomes boring.” When they have on their hands an important vintage, they do not end up diluting the truly great lots with a wine that, in a lesser vintage, would have been considered very good. This process ultimately creates only the very best wines.
In their own words: “The 2021 season has been kind to us winemakers in Collio. In April, the first thrill: a frost which, however, did not affect us. Then a very rainy May gave way to three dry summer months with mild temperatures in relation to the seasonal averages, which led to late ripening. It almost seems to go back in time, spared from climate change, in a parenthesis that takes us back to the fabulous 90s of the great Collio vintages. And the wine? If the conditions are good, only time will tell us what it will be like in the bottle.”
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