Ferrari Trento kicks off the 2024 harvest

August 21^st is the date that marks the beginning of the 2024 harvest in the Ferrari vineyards; a date that does not differ much from last year’s, and as such the level of complexity of the vintage. While heralding a good level of quality, yields are expected to be significantly lower than in 2023. 

2024 saw record rainfall: suffice it to say that in Trentino, rainfall in the first 6 months of the year beat the previous record from back in 1926. The resulting fungal diseases have put a strain on the work of Ferrari’s agronomists, who have once again proved their professionalism in tackling one of the most challenging seasons in recent years. Added to this is the fact that the organic management of all the estate’s vineyards and part of the vineyards of the winegrowers who supply Ferrari with their grapes, entails considerable limitations in terms of phytosanitary defense and consequently further difficulties in management.

The reduction in yields is also due to the phenomena of coulure, i.e. the dropping of the flower after it has opened, due to the abundant rainfall, as well as the late April frosts. Although this was fortunately of a minor nature, it did affect some areas of Trentino.

The improvement in weather conditions in July, the good water supply held in the soils and the meticulous work of selection carried out by the winegrowers, however, allowed the grapes to ripen very well, which heralds a positive end to the season.

‘Never has the expertise of the winegrowers and our team of agronomists proved to be as fundamental as it was this year,’ commented Marcello Lunelli, Ferrari’s Vice President, ’in order to obtain healthy grapes with a rich aromatic profile.

In the winery, experimentation will continue during the 2024 harvest with a system based on artificial intelligence, which acquires digital images and, through an algorithm, is able to objectively detect the presence of defects in the grapes before pressing.

Harvesting will begin, as always, from the lowest Chardonnay vineyards and then continue, in about a month, to the highest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. The harvest will be carried out strictly by hand, as required by the Trentodoc regulations to ensure optimal selection of the grapes, which the meticulous work of the oenologists will then transform into sparkling wines of great elegance.