This year saw some historic wins for Italy’s Prosecco producers. Now that the region’s harvest has finished, we’re looking forward to new innovations for the sparkling wine.
The 2019 harvest, the first after the Prosecco region was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, began about 10 days later than in recent years. Yields were down between 3% and 5%, but the Consortium for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco has said the quality of the fruit this year is “exceptional”.
The harvest started in the most easterly zone and on slopes with the most exposure to sunlight, such as vineyards in San Pietro di Feletto.
This was followed by the more central zone of the Denomination (Refrontolo, Pieve di Soligo, Col San Martino and Cartizze), and finally, the vineyards of Valdobbiadene.
Innocente Nardi, president of the Producers’ Consortium for Conegliano Valdobbiadene, said right now is “the most important time of year” for the region’s estates, as crops are taken into the winemaking facilities and vinification begins.
“This month we have just spent on the Rive vineyards has been one of intense work; for us vine-growers this is the most important time of the year,” Nardi said.
“The outstanding quality of the 2019 harvest rewards us for the fatigue of the entire year, consisting of difficulties and dedication but also of successes that have resonated around the world: starting off with the accolade from UNESCO, but also including the fiftieth anniversary of the Denomination.”
There have been a number of landmark changes in Prosecco’s regulations this year, which are set to shape the kinds of wines coming out of the region in the coming years…
