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The vineyards in northern Italy are suffering from massive drought. Especially in the Langhe in Piedmont, but also in Valpolicella, Franciacorta and Tuscany, the soils have dried out, he said. As it has not snowed in almost any region this winter, there is a lack of water reserves, Zvonimir Jurkovic from the Podere Einaudi winery in Barolo told the online magazine Decanter. There has also been no significant rainfall so far. In the Langhe, it had not rained for 120 days, and the few millimetres that fell last weekend could not have changed the critical situation. No precipitation can replace snow when it comes to the water absorption of the soil. And if it rains a lot in spring, there is a high risk of downy mildew appearing already during the flowering phase. In addition, heavy rain poses an erosion problem for the vineyards.
According to Renzo Cotarella of Antinori, the situation is particularly problematic for newly planted vineyards, which need at least 30 to 50 millimetres of rainfall. The winegrowers are now looking hopefully to April, which is usually the month with the most rainfall in Italy. An even greater risk, however, is late frosts, which have repeatedly caused damage in recent years.
(ru / Source: Decanter; Photo: 123rf.com)