Consorzio dell'Asti DOCG | Moscato d'Asti being harvested

The Italian grape harvest is underway, with grower organizations promising less quantity but more quality from the 2014 vintage.

The first grapes were picked in Franciacorta in Lombardy last week, 10 days earlier than in 2013, despite variable weather in the lead-up to harvest. Sicily also started picking around the same time. The total Italian harvest is expected to be smaller than last year’s bumper crop, which yielded 49 million liters of wine. By comparison, France has averaged 46.4 million liters annually over the past five years.

But if the quantities can be expected to decline, the good news is that the average quality will be much higher. Also according to growers’ organization Coldiretti, 40 percent of the yield will be allocated to the more prestigious DOC and DOCG categories. Another 30 percent will cover the 118 IGT areas and the remaining 30 percent will be simple table wines.

The harvest started with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for sparkling wines and will finish in early October, when the Nebbiolo grapes of Piedmont are picked.

Persistent rain and below-average temperatures hampered growers across the north during July, meaning they had to spend heavily on treatments to counteract the rain's effect on the grapes. However, August has seen a return to more settled weather, speeding up ripening.

In the Asti DOCG, the harvest is due to begin 20 days earlier than 2013. Daniele Eberle, agronomist of the Consorzio per la Tutela dell'Asti, said the harvest should really take off in the last week of August: "The harvest is expected to be about average and smaller than 2013, which was an abundant vintage. The moderate rainfall in May and June has fostered a good fruit set. We've had hail, there have been outbreaks of powdery mildew and downy mildew after recent rains, but no problems. Even the flavescence is under control.”

Meanwhile, there is more good news for Moscato fans, with production set to increase in order to provide a better income for growers.

Yield levels have been raised by about 10 percent to 4.5 tons per acre and the price is likely to be set at 1.05 euros per kilogram ($1270 per ton) after mediation between growers' representatives and the agriculture ministry. The average 2013 price in California for Moscato grapes was $462 per ton.

The wine industry is worth $12.7 billion to the Italian economy and employs more than 1.2 million people.