“THE COST OF ORGANIC WINE MAKING ”

COMPANY HARVEST NUMBER 61 – MAURO SIRRI’S HARVEST NUMBER 42

Dear Friends,

What can I say… A difficult, very difficult year, which gave us no respite in a challenging scenario. However, it was also full of satisfaction, with many awards both nationally and internationally.
Climate change and grapevine diseases such as ESCA disease and FLAVESCENCE DOREE, which claim thousands of lives in vineyards every year, are putting a particular strain on hillside viticulture.

Weather conditions are becoming more extreme, ranging from absolute drought to heavy rainfall even in months like July and August, when rainfall should usually be limited.

After a spring in line with seasonal expectations, May, June, July, and even August were characterized by heavy rainfall. July in particular brought us 100 ml of rain, resulting in continuously developing canopy.

To contain vegetative growth, we had to carry out significant defoliation operations to keep the bunches well exposed and avoid the attack of fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, which are particularly aggressive in the months of June and July.

In August, after complete VERAISON, one normally feels at peace… however, the little surprise of August was the third flight of the grape moth, which we anticipated, fortuitously identifying this unusual problem. It can cause significant damage to the quality of the grapes by piercing the internal berries of the bunch and triggering attacks of rot.

To top it all off, 58 millimeters of rain arrived on August 22nd, when the grapes were almost ripe, thus completely reshuffling the cards on the table.

A NIGHTMARE!

So, back to the vineyard to prune and remove unsuitable bunches, with additional costs, but with the certainty of doing the right thing to maintain the high quality of the grapes.
The strength of the team, which I thank with all my heart, allowed us to overcome adversity and raise the bar, which has risen steadily and inexorably in 2025.
I especially thank ANDREA CALISESI, our young winemaker who demonstrated his ability to navigate a harvest that was certainly not easy; ANDREA PERUGINI, who remained on top despite his health ups and downs; ALEX CASADEI for logistics; ANDREA PONI for transportation; GIULIA MANTINI for her love of the vineyard; MONIA SARTONI, DANILO TASSINARI, GENNARO NOVELLI, LIDIA CANGINI, MARCO CAVAZZA, CRISTIANO GUIETTI and all the HARVEST staff; the office staff, SONIA VENTRUCCI and STEFANIA MAZZA; and finally, EMANUELE CASADEI, who was always so helpful!

WE ARE THE BEST AND OUR WINES SPEAK FOR US!

Mauro Sirri