Harvests
Harvest starting date - August the 26th, 2023
Here we are with our 20th harvest! As every year, we have tried to understand our territory and soils at the best, despite the difficulties caused by an increasingly unpredictable climate. Strong winds in May and significant rainfall with morning humidity in June allowed downy mildew to develop rapidly. Despite a 40 percent reduction in production, the quality of the wines seems to be really good, thanks in part to the low yields and the total acidity of the musts: wines that are a bit more full-bodied, but fresh and pleasant. The plants, thanks to a fresh spring and rains in contrast, enjoyed excellent vigor and good vegetative growth as never before.
The harvest began in late August with Moscato di Alessandria and Albanello and ended with Frappato and Nero d'Avola, passing through Grillo di Santa Margherita.
This year was again a time of great happiness and sharing, thanks in part to the young and international team that joined us. The grapes that arrived at the sorting table were already of a good concentration, thus reducing maceration time and achieving a low extraction in a short time.
The 2023 harvest in Vittoria will be remembered as complex from different points of view, the wines, however, will continue to tell, as they have for the past two decades, of passion, experimentation and experience. Twenty years of journeying in an area that is not always easy in many aspects, but wonderful for the vines growth potential that it has in the core, starting from the first hectare in the Fossa di Lupo.
Harvest after harvest, we listen more and more to what Nature offers us, aware that it will look different every year: the farmer can only learn, improve and cherish what he is taught.
Harvest for us is always fun, joy and hard work. This year we had a great time working together with the interns joining us from Chile, South Africa, Corsica and Pantelleria. We started in mid August picking the white varieties and we finished the first week of October with Frappato and Nero d’Avola.
We had a fresh spring with a dry and windy summer. Spring was more rainy than last year and this allowed our limestone soils to absorb enough water for the summer season.
Vines developed vigorously, which is our wish for every year. But unfortunately, the summer heat and humidity attracted Cicalina, an insect coming from Africa, which took advantage of this vigor. We didn’t do any intervention for it and minimum were the usual annual treatments of sulphur and copper. Despite everything, the quality and quantity of the grapes were kept optimal thanks also to the scrupulous selection that we do while picking and also in the cellar, where we had the opportunity to carefully unwrap the grapes which were not mature enough.
Vintage 2022 produced: SP68 white and red, Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte and all the wines for the Vino di Contrada project (BB-PT-FL-SM). Fine wines with a beautiful acidity and freshness.
La produzione è stata di: SP68 bianco e rosso, Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte e contrade (BB-PT-FL-SM)
Beginning of the harvest: 10 September 2018
I remember that the vegetation this year was as vigorous as ever. Finally after 3/4 years of drought and heat we had a rainy winter. And as you know, rain is always welcome here.
The layer of limestone just below our sands holds water and releases it slowly during the vegetative stage. And that's why the plants germinated quickly and well. A little humidity accumulated in the soil and in the air during the summer called us to pay particular attention to the management of powdery mildew. Luckily we opened more at the base of the bunches trying to let them air out.
Then in August the big rain that no one expected.
It was necessary to select because the harvest was still far away and for this reason, due to the rigor and the desire to bring home good grapes, we went two/three times to clean depending on the vineyards.
So we lost about a 15/20% in the different plots but the grapes were beautiful and we did a good job.
At times the color is a little lighter, but there is good acidity, even in the white grapes, and the wines seem elegant to me.
Of those agile vintages that will surely age well over time.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte.
Beginning of the harvest: 14th September 2017
During the 2017 vintage the rain arrived, albeit sparingly dosing its appearance, as often happens in Sicily in the summer; the sirocco winds kept us company, but fortunately the position enjoyed by the Vittoria area has preserved the vineyards thanks to a cooler microclimate. The sirocco wind that blew over many areas of the island remained cooler here, blowing from the north-west and keeping the valley safe from the appearance of problems related to dehydration. The plants have maintained good vigour; the dehydration that characterized the year in Sicily did not cause our vineyards to suffer particularly. The 2017 wines are vibrant and fresh, reaching an average alcohol content of 12.5%. The fairly balanced temperature allowed the grapes to reach skin and phenolic ripening already at the end of September, the date on which we harvested the red grapes.
Production suffered a significant drop in production, which luckily came to around 15% compared to the previous year. This is why I decided to concentrate the production on Frappato and Siccagno, Sp68 Rosso and Bianco. I believe that the choices during the harvest should be oriented according to what the vines express; this has led us not to produce Grotte Alte in order not to excessively sacrifice the quantity of the other wines.
The team was, like every year, the added value of the harvest: thanks to some Viticulture and Oenology students who arrived from other parts of Italy and Europe and sommelier friends who arrived from the United States, the harvest days were pervaded by a beautiful and happy energy.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, 3 districts (Pettineo, Fossa di Lupo, Bombolieri) of Frappato.
Beginning of the harvest: 18th September 2016
Definitely a vintage to remember. There hadn't been such a drought in Victoria for more than thirty years. Up to the time of collection, 90 mm of rain was recorded. We started the harvest as a good challenge, a bit sobbing. We prepared slowly, hoping to receive important emotions from a demanding year. The white grapes, harvested at the beginning, had a perfectly ripe skin and had slightly less maceration in the cellar. Already after 10 days I had noticed a nice extraction. The red grapes finished ripening in October. I had promised myself that, compared to 2015, I would not have harvested before September 26th, as has always been done here in Vittoria. So we waited. We left the red grapes on the vine until October and even if I hadn't reached a high sugar level, they instead reached phenolic ripeness. The alcohol of the wines varies from 11.5 to 12.5. They are wines with good acidity and drinkability, with important colours. Here it is well known that drought and heat almost never lead to over-ripening, on the contrary, the plant slows down photosynthesis, so everything ripens later. Thanks to the low production, Nero d'Avola is very fragrant, the general quantity was lower. A special thanks this year goes to Riccardo, Federica, Victoria, Marco and Edoardo, who came here to learn, they were perfect friends and travel companions.
Vintage description
The winter was quite mild. The decidedly higher average temperatures, a balanced spring and a not too hot summer. From a sanitary point of view, the lack of rain made work in the vineyard smoother. Downy mildew and powdery mildew were almost absent, making the vegetation easier to manage. On the other hand, the plants and above all the Nero d'Avola had very little vigour. The grapes soon reached the phenolic ripeness of seeds and stems, less of the skin as the lack of water did not help the plants in their ripening process. Luckily a rainy day in August and a good rain in September got everything moving again and softened the fabrics. There were a lot of differences between the vineyards according to the soil.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte, “Albanello 100%”, 3 “Contrade di Frappato”
Beginning of the harvest: 20 September 2015
I waited for the best moment to start this harvest. A hot summer, a long wait for the grapes to ripen. Even a little 'uncertainty in some moments. It is known that excess heat does not help photosynthesis, plants protect themselves by closing. This generates maturation delays and this year as usual here in Vittoria our harvest ended in October. A team full of enthusiasm, a vintage that required a lot of concentration on my part. The wines after the malolactic fermentation surprised me a lot. Macerations lasting 15 days on the two Sp68s and just over three weeks for Frappato and Siccagno. The acidities during the harvest were high and the tannins well present; now everything has smoothed out a bit giving space to a greater balance and a lot of freshness. The highly drinkable whites. A vintage that will perform very well over time.
Vintage description The winter was characterized by abundant rains. A summer that started slowly and then made itself felt with very very high temperatures in July. A cooler August, accompanied by a few rainy days. A dry, dry autumn.
Wines produced SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte, Passo Nero.
Beginning of the harvest: 18th September 2014
A good team this year. A good, vital energy that is very important in these moments. We had to compress everything in 15 days, as the rains during the summer made us want and the lack of water made the complete ripening close in all the varieties. We have tried to collect everything in the ideal period. A single day of rain slowed down the work and fortunately gave us some breathing space.
I preferred to work on a maceration of about 15 days on the two SP68s with light pumping over and punching down on all the wines. While longer macerations, about 25 days on Frappato and Nero d'Avola for Siccagno. It is impressive to note how, the more this work on organic matter in our soils goes on, the more these grapes give wines that are more and more balanced. The balance I feel is when tannins, alcohol, minerality, shoulder, acidity and freshness regardless of the vintage, work well together.
Vittoria surprises me more and more and I notice how this combination of calcareous soils, red sands and the opposite Iblean Mountains are a little secret for these southern wines. I wish you a lot of it!
Vintage description
Vintage characterized by a fairly regular climatic trend, characterized by a mild winter, an equally mild spring with some initial powdery mildew pressure which required a lot of attention. A summer with no rainfall, but fortunately not too hot allowing the plants to remain in vegetation. Veraison was very slow especially in Frappato this year. But I recovered time by anticipating the defoliation.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte, Passo Nero.
Beginning of the harvest: 24th September 2013
It was the first harvest in the new cellar in Bombolieri. Smell again but also of the 2012 wine. In fact, I transferred all the wine from the 2012 harvest that remained in the cellar to keep us company. To make those grapes, which entered the new house for the first time, feel that they were not alone. From now on, all the tanks are made of concrete, finally more space, a more suitable house for the wines. I had a lot of anxiety about how everything would go, about the fermentations, but also about the guys who help me who had to adapt to a new place quickly. But all of a sudden, as the grapes started to ferment I let out a big sigh of relief. The scent of the must was the same as always, everything went well. I really think that what we have in the vineyard is truly the most important thing and that's why I found everything in the wines despite being in a new place. I am very happy with this year, it is the Tenth Harvest, a special harvest.
Vintage description
An ideal climatic trend for the whole year. A cool July and August. We had practically only a few rains which refreshed the soil and got the plants back in motion. A cool climate, a very windy season and perfect grapes, from a health point of view, unique. However, I found it more difficult to find the ripening point of the grapes. I remember starting the harvest, having it but also interrupting it and restarting it after a few days. The vintage was late and therefore the grapes needed little longer on the vine. Rich and varietal Nero d'Avola, very fragrant Frappato. The macerations were slightly shortened, punching down and pumping over daily.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Caves
High.
Harvest starting date - August the 26th, 2023
Here we are with our 20th harvest! As every year, we have tried to understand our territory and soils at the best, despite the difficulties caused by an increasingly unpredictable climate. Strong winds in May and significant rainfall with morning humidity in June allowed downy mildew to develop rapidly. Despite a 40 percent reduction in production, the quality of the wines seems to be really good, thanks in part to the low yields and the total acidity of the musts: wines that are a bit more full-bodied, but fresh and pleasant. The plants, thanks to a fresh spring and rains in contrast, enjoyed excellent vigor and good vegetative growth as never before.
The harvest began in late August with Moscato di Alessandria and Albanello and ended with Frappato and Nero d'Avola, passing through Grillo di Santa Margherita.
This year was again a time of great happiness and sharing, thanks in part to the young and international team that joined us. The grapes that arrived at the sorting table were already of a good concentration, thus reducing maceration time and achieving a low extraction in a short time.
The 2023 harvest in Vittoria will be remembered as complex from different points of view, the wines, however, will continue to tell, as they have for the past two decades, of passion, experimentation and experience. Twenty years of journeying in an area that is not always easy in many aspects, but wonderful for the vines growth potential that it has in the core, starting from the first hectare in the Fossa di Lupo.
Harvest after harvest, we listen more and more to what Nature offers us, aware that it will look different every year: the farmer can only learn, improve and cherish what he is taught.
Harvest for us is always fun, joy and hard work. This year we had a great time working together with the interns joining us from Chile, South Africa, Corsica and Pantelleria. We started in mid August picking the white varieties and we finished the first week of October with Frappato and Nero d’Avola.
We had a fresh spring with a dry and windy summer. Spring was more rainy than last year and this allowed our limestone soils to absorb enough water for the summer season.
Vines developed vigorously, which is our wish for every year. But unfortunately, the summer heat and humidity attracted Cicalina, an insect coming from Africa, which took advantage of this vigor. We didn’t do any intervention for it and minimum were the usual annual treatments of sulphur and copper. Despite everything, the quality and quantity of the grapes were kept optimal thanks also to the scrupulous selection that we do while picking and also in the cellar, where we had the opportunity to carefully unwrap the grapes which were not mature enough.
Vintage 2022 produced: SP68 white and red, Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte and all the wines for the Vino di Contrada project (BB-PT-FL-SM). Fine wines with a beautiful acidity and freshness.
La produzione è stata di: SP68 bianco e rosso, Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte e contrade (BB-PT-FL-SM)
Beginning of the harvest: 10 September 2018
I remember that the vegetation this year was as vigorous as ever. Finally after 3/4 years of drought and heat we had a rainy winter. And as you know, rain is always welcome here.
The layer of limestone just below our sands holds water and releases it slowly during the vegetative stage. And that's why the plants germinated quickly and well. A little humidity accumulated in the soil and in the air during the summer called us to pay particular attention to the management of powdery mildew. Luckily we opened more at the base of the bunches trying to let them air out.
Then in August the big rain that no one expected.
It was necessary to select because the harvest was still far away and for this reason, due to the rigor and the desire to bring home good grapes, we went two/three times to clean depending on the vineyards.
So we lost about a 15/20% in the different plots but the grapes were beautiful and we did a good job.
At times the color is a little lighter, but there is good acidity, even in the white grapes, and the wines seem elegant to me.
Of those agile vintages that will surely age well over time.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte.
Beginning of the harvest: 14th September 2017
During the 2017 vintage the rain arrived, albeit sparingly dosing its appearance, as often happens in Sicily in the summer; the sirocco winds kept us company, but fortunately the position enjoyed by the Vittoria area has preserved the vineyards thanks to a cooler microclimate. The sirocco wind that blew over many areas of the island remained cooler here, blowing from the north-west and keeping the valley safe from the appearance of problems related to dehydration. The plants have maintained good vigour; the dehydration that characterized the year in Sicily did not cause our vineyards to suffer particularly. The 2017 wines are vibrant and fresh, reaching an average alcohol content of 12.5%. The fairly balanced temperature allowed the grapes to reach skin and phenolic ripening already at the end of September, the date on which we harvested the red grapes.
Production suffered a significant drop in production, which luckily came to around 15% compared to the previous year. This is why I decided to concentrate the production on Frappato and Siccagno, Sp68 Rosso and Bianco. I believe that the choices during the harvest should be oriented according to what the vines express; this has led us not to produce Grotte Alte in order not to excessively sacrifice the quantity of the other wines.
The team was, like every year, the added value of the harvest: thanks to some Viticulture and Oenology students who arrived from other parts of Italy and Europe and sommelier friends who arrived from the United States, the harvest days were pervaded by a beautiful and happy energy.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, 3 districts (Pettineo, Fossa di Lupo, Bombolieri) of Frappato.
Beginning of the harvest: 18th September 2016
Definitely a vintage to remember. There hadn't been such a drought in Victoria for more than thirty years. Up to the time of collection, 90 mm of rain was recorded. We started the harvest as a good challenge, a bit sobbing. We prepared slowly, hoping to receive important emotions from a demanding year. The white grapes, harvested at the beginning, had a perfectly ripe skin and had slightly less maceration in the cellar. Already after 10 days I had noticed a nice extraction. The red grapes finished ripening in October. I had promised myself that, compared to 2015, I would not have harvested before September 26th, as has always been done here in Vittoria. So we waited. We left the red grapes on the vine until October and even if I hadn't reached a high sugar level, they instead reached phenolic ripeness. The alcohol of the wines varies from 11.5 to 12.5. They are wines with good acidity and drinkability, with important colours. Here it is well known that drought and heat almost never lead to over-ripening, on the contrary, the plant slows down photosynthesis, so everything ripens later. Thanks to the low production, Nero d'Avola is very fragrant, the general quantity was lower. A special thanks this year goes to Riccardo, Federica, Victoria, Marco and Edoardo, who came here to learn, they were perfect friends and travel companions.
Vintage description
The winter was quite mild. The decidedly higher average temperatures, a balanced spring and a not too hot summer. From a sanitary point of view, the lack of rain made work in the vineyard smoother. Downy mildew and powdery mildew were almost absent, making the vegetation easier to manage. On the other hand, the plants and above all the Nero d'Avola had very little vigour. The grapes soon reached the phenolic ripeness of seeds and stems, less of the skin as the lack of water did not help the plants in their ripening process. Luckily a rainy day in August and a good rain in September got everything moving again and softened the fabrics. There were a lot of differences between the vineyards according to the soil.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte, “Albanello 100%”, 3 “Contrade di Frappato”
Beginning of the harvest: 20 September 2015
I waited for the best moment to start this harvest. A hot summer, a long wait for the grapes to ripen. Even a little 'uncertainty in some moments. It is known that excess heat does not help photosynthesis, plants protect themselves by closing. This generates maturation delays and this year as usual here in Vittoria our harvest ended in October. A team full of enthusiasm, a vintage that required a lot of concentration on my part. The wines after the malolactic fermentation surprised me a lot. Macerations lasting 15 days on the two Sp68s and just over three weeks for Frappato and Siccagno. The acidities during the harvest were high and the tannins well present; now everything has smoothed out a bit giving space to a greater balance and a lot of freshness. The highly drinkable whites. A vintage that will perform very well over time.
Vintage description The winter was characterized by abundant rains. A summer that started slowly and then made itself felt with very very high temperatures in July. A cooler August, accompanied by a few rainy days. A dry, dry autumn.
Wines produced SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte, Passo Nero.
Beginning of the harvest: 18th September 2014
A good team this year. A good, vital energy that is very important in these moments. We had to compress everything in 15 days, as the rains during the summer made us want and the lack of water made the complete ripening close in all the varieties. We have tried to collect everything in the ideal period. A single day of rain slowed down the work and fortunately gave us some breathing space.
I preferred to work on a maceration of about 15 days on the two SP68s with light pumping over and punching down on all the wines. While longer macerations, about 25 days on Frappato and Nero d'Avola for Siccagno. It is impressive to note how, the more this work on organic matter in our soils goes on, the more these grapes give wines that are more and more balanced. The balance I feel is when tannins, alcohol, minerality, shoulder, acidity and freshness regardless of the vintage, work well together.
Vittoria surprises me more and more and I notice how this combination of calcareous soils, red sands and the opposite Iblean Mountains are a little secret for these southern wines. I wish you a lot of it!
Vintage description
Vintage characterized by a fairly regular climatic trend, characterized by a mild winter, an equally mild spring with some initial powdery mildew pressure which required a lot of attention. A summer with no rainfall, but fortunately not too hot allowing the plants to remain in vegetation. Veraison was very slow especially in Frappato this year. But I recovered time by anticipating the defoliation.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Grotte Alte, Passo Nero.
Beginning of the harvest: 24th September 2013
It was the first harvest in the new cellar in Bombolieri. Smell again but also of the 2012 wine. In fact, I transferred all the wine from the 2012 harvest that remained in the cellar to keep us company. To make those grapes, which entered the new house for the first time, feel that they were not alone. From now on, all the tanks are made of concrete, finally more space, a more suitable house for the wines. I had a lot of anxiety about how everything would go, about the fermentations, but also about the guys who help me who had to adapt to a new place quickly. But all of a sudden, as the grapes started to ferment I let out a big sigh of relief. The scent of the must was the same as always, everything went well. I really think that what we have in the vineyard is truly the most important thing and that's why I found everything in the wines despite being in a new place. I am very happy with this year, it is the Tenth Harvest, a special harvest.
Vintage description
An ideal climatic trend for the whole year. A cool July and August. We had practically only a few rains which refreshed the soil and got the plants back in motion. A cool climate, a very windy season and perfect grapes, from a health point of view, unique. However, I found it more difficult to find the ripening point of the grapes. I remember starting the harvest, having it but also interrupting it and restarting it after a few days. The vintage was late and therefore the grapes needed little longer on the vine. Rich and varietal Nero d'Avola, very fragrant Frappato. The macerations were slightly shortened, punching down and pumping over daily.
Produced wines
SP68 White, SP68 Red, Il Frappato, Siccagno, Caves
High.