Harvest 2021: innovations and future projects

The first part of summer 2021 was cool; from mid-July, conditions became warmer, sunnier and almost rainless. Early-ripening Moscato, Arneis, Chardonnay, Dolcetto and Cortese performed particularly well. Barbera reached excellent quality with slightly less sugar and greater acidity than in the preceding vintage. Nebbiolo delivered good quantities but showed greater variation during ripening because of differences among appellation microclimates and local weather events. Timely thinning removed compromised bunches and maintained quality, with a slight reduction in volume.

The harvest inaugurated two grape hoppers with separate transport circuits and synoptic-panel management. Three pneumatic presses entered service, including one able to work under nitrogen. Existing vinification facilities were renovated and joined by separate departments for white and red wines.

Upgrades included underground piping for crushed grapes, centrally positioned operating units, fully automated marc transport after racking and fermenters with onboard control panels and temperature regulation. A new ageing department contained 54 oak barrels.

The investments were expected to raise capacity and efficiency, improve average quality and reduce errors and manual risk while retaining essential hands-on work. Planned next stages included network interconnection and remote management of departments, followed by renewal of the bottling line.