Harvest 2023: The Story by Winemaker Claudio Quarta

We are often asked in Puglia - we will then talk about Campania, where our Sanpaolo winery is based - about how the harvest went, most recently by the talented journalist Rosario Faggiano who summarized our experience alongside that of other colleagues.

Allow me to express my hope that this will be remembered as the most dramatic harvest of the first half of the new century. By this, I mean it was an unfortunate harvest due to exceptionally adverse weather conditions, and I also hope that it will not be followed by even worse harvests.

Let's see what happened.
Spring was exceptionally rainy, resulting in two effects: stimulation of Peronospora (*) infections and difficulties in combating them.
(*) Peronospora is a pathogenic fungus that survives in the form of dormant spores during winter, but reactivates in spring, causing vine infections in the presence of the so-called "three tens": temperature
above 10 degrees, shoots at least 10 cm long, and rainfall of at least 10 mm. It goes without saying that the longer these conditions persist, the greater the risk and virulence of the infection.
Dealing with such conditions necessitated prompt action through appropriate treatments, but the abundant rain until the end of spring made it difficult, and sometimes impossible, for operators to enter the vineyard. Consequently, the fungus caused extensive infections affecting the foliage and bunches. But that's not all. In July, temperatures increased to and sometimes exceeded 40 degrees, and this condition persisted for a long time. Therefore, the leaves, already challenged by the infection, reduced and in many cases ceased photosynthetic activity, leading to a halt in ripening.

Quantity: The outcome of the harvest within our company is emblematic of the general situation. We own 50 hectares of vineyards between Pulsano and Lizzano, in the province of Taranto - I am referring to the Tenute Eméra winery - and just over one hectare in Guagnano (LE) for the production of Moros, the only wine produced in very limited quantities by the eponymous Winery. In the 50 hectares, thanks to the draining soil that allowed us to carry out organic treatments and the proximity to the sea, which mitigated the excessive heat, we experienced a 50% lower harvest compared to last year, starting with Chardonnay and ending with Negroamaro. In the Guagnano area, however, due to the clayey soil, the water made the necessary treatments impossible. Therefore, the Moros wine, Salice Salentino Riserva, which won the "Best Red Wine of Italy" award at the Brussels World Competition with the 2019 vintage, will not be produced for the 2023 vintage. But Moros is not the only wine whose production is sacrificed in the name of quality. Along with it, Bianco di Negroamaro and Susumaniello. The former due to the immediate release of anthocyanins from the skins that barely colored the obtained juice. We could have applied a treatment to decolorize it (charcoal filtration), but we chose not to. This is indicative of our approach to production, which is to minimize interventions in the cellar.

The latter due to poor grape quality.

Overall, we can say that due to adverse weather conditions, some vineyards were completely abandoned, and others suffered losses estimated at 40% -60%.

Quality: normal, as is the alcohol content, but only in those vineyards where the extreme heat conditions were mitigated, located in ventilated areas or close to the sea and thanks to the availability of emergency irrigation, as was the case for us. In other cases, the extreme temperatures could prevent good technological ripening, i.e., the ratio between sugar content and acidity. In addition to technological ripeness, the development of polyphenolic maturity is important, meaning the many organic substances present in the grape, and therefore in the wine, that give it its character in terms of aromas, color, and flavors, allowing the wine to evolve slowly, enabling a long refining process.

The latter, in particular, is very important for the appreciation of our wines, especially Primitivo and Negroamaro, on international markets. It is necessary for the wine to have good structure and complexity to withstand sometimes difficult journeys, and to resist for a long time before being uncorked and consumed.

In conclusion, despite the many challenges faced, I believe that the 2023 vintage wines meet the aforementioned requirement and will allow us to continue on the recently started path of increasing the recognition of our products abroad, which is an element of extraordinary importance for tourism and a driving force for economic, social, and cultural development. Only in this way will we have repaid our debt to the land that for decades has produced grapes from which wines for blending were made: wines that left for destinations in the north with their own name and scattered across various world markets under another identity.

-Claudio Quarta

Despite this year's challenges, we want to share our ongoing commitment and determination to pursue our mission: to valorize native grape varieties and create wines that are authentic storytellers of the exciting heart of the South.
Discover them online: Claudio Quarta Vignaiolo Wine Shop

Thank you all!