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Bolgheri DOC weathers the storm
Though the Tuscan fine wine region of Bolgheri has been battered by torrential rainfall this week, producers insist that the situation is “under control”.
“During the evening of 23 September 23, an intense and very exceptional rainstorm occurred over part of the Bolgheri DOC area, from Fossa di Bolgheri toward Castagneto Carducci, with about 200mm of rain in two hours,” declared Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini DOC Bolgheri e DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia president Albiera Antinori.
According to the consorzio, Bolgheri DOC receives an average rainfall of 600mm across an entire year.
The result of this dramatic downpour was flash flooding.
Among those to share footage of the disaster was wine critic James Suckling:
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In the immediate aftermath, Annalisa Motta, wine grower and winemaker at Guado al Melo, shared that this sudden cloudburst “created a wave of water and debris that ravaged part of our vineyards”.
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Motta estimated that the damage to its vineyards could be “four hectares or more”, with Campo Grando being the “most damaged” – four rows of the Campo Giardino were lost too.
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However, despite such scenes of devastation, producers claim that they have actually dodged a bullet.
Guado al Melo noted that it had “already harvested about 80% of the grapes” – though less than half of the remaining 20% survived the storm. Harvesting has since resumed, and the cellar was reportedly undamaged by flooding.
“We are all well fortunately, and the situation is under control. We have finished the harvest, and the grapes are intact and healthy, thanks also to the hilly area in which they are located which has not suffered any damage,” said a spokesperson for Tenuta San Guido, the winery behind legendary Super Tuscan Sassicaia.
Campo alla Sughera’s LinkedIn account expressed much the same, stating that the “water bomb” caused “concern”, “but fortunately our vineyards did not suffer significant damage”.
Antinori, in her capacity as president of Marchesi Antinori, said that the historic producer, which dates back 26 generations, was helped by the timing of the downpour: “A slightly early season helped, allowing 90% of the grapes to have already been harvested and in the cellar. There is still some Cabernet Sauvignon left to be harvested, and the wind expected these days should help a lot in drying the grapes. Harvesting of the last remaining grapes has already resumed just today [24 September].”
Cabernet Sauvignon is Bolgheri’s most-cultivated variety, making up more than a third (34.16%) of all plantings.
“The water had already drained away in the early morning hours without causing any permanent damage, except in a limited area where the force of the water impacted the vines. The situation is currently being investigated, but it does not seem to have left significant damage, except unfortunately for some producers,” she stated in her capacity as consorzio president. “The grape harvest is now in its final step, and we look forward in the coming days, when good weather is expected, to complete the harvest of the last grapes.”
“The images on social media made people fear the worst, but thanks to their [local authorities’] intervention, the situation came back under control,” added Antinori.
The situation elsewhere
The floods in Bolgheri have come after Storm Boris battered the east of the country, with the region of Marche, on Italy’s Adriatic side, also hit. However, speaking with the drinks business on 19 September, Umani Ronchi’s Michele Bernetti, head of the Istituto Marchigiano di Tutela dei Vini, said: “In general, we have certainly had floods, but they have affected very concentrated areas where these very strong downpours occurred, concentrated above all in the coastal area, much less so in the hilly interior – in the mountains it has hardly rained. Fortunately, we are not recording any damage to wine production, also considering that the harvest is well over halfway done.”
But, though producers have largely been lucky this time, Italy’s vineyards are feeling the full force of the climate crisis, with the 2023 vintage being noted for its range of extremes – from floods in Romagna to fires in Sicily.
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