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The 2023 vintage is considered particularly challenging in the Prosecco growing area, not only because of heat waves and hailstorms. According to a report in the daily La Reppublica, there are still between 3,000 and 5,000 workers missing to be able to harvest the grapes on time and not let them hang on the vine longer than necessary. Winemaker Sandro Bottega is already talking about the "most difficult harvest I can remember in the past 40 years."
But the lack of staff is probably not only due to the difficult and exhausting work in the vineyards, especially in the steep slopes of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. As a union representative told the newspaper, farm workers earn on average "between 6.50 euros and seven euros per hour. However, the wage should be ten to eleven euros per hour". The low wages for only seasonal work and undeclared work had led to many workers migrating to the better-paid construction and transport sectors. Although the government in Rome would have approved higher immigration quotas, not enough foreign workers seem to be coming to make up for the shortage of domestic seasonal workers. Winemakers warn that the problems could affect the quantity and quality of this year's Prosecco vintage. In the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region, the harvest will begin in mid-September.
(al / source: La Reppublica)