Harvest, a good first: "Grapes harvested early, but good quality and quantity."

Scrolling through the photos of Ferragosto, some of you may have noticed those of producers among the vines harvesting grapes. A lightning start? For many, yes, even in the Bologna hills , where the star is Pignoletto . And while we're currently focusing on the white grape harvest (and not only), climate change is certainly rewriting the calendar. Each day at this stage is a different story, but the glass is half full: both the quality and quantity of the grapes are good. The uncertainties, however, come from the market and the decline in consumption.

"The final heat of August accelerated ripening, and harvesting began about a week earlier," explains Carlo Piccinini, president of the Emilia-Romagna Consortium, which also includes the Colli Bolognesi Consortium. "But with climate change , this trend will persist, especially in the hills where there's more sun exposure and less irrigation. In the plains, some have yet to begin."

"My colleagues," Piccinini continues, "are preparing for a good harvest. There was a temperature range, which was good for acidity, which is important in the case of Pignoletto . We don't want to be overly optimistic at this stage, where every rainfall has an impact, but expectations are good. From an agronomic standpoint, the picture is positive in terms of quality and quantity. We've reached harvest time under normal conditions."

Another front is trade in this "summer of tariffs." "There are some concerns," the president continues. " Pignoletto isn't yet widespread in the US, but other wines could appeal to some of the markets where we operate." Regarding the Colli appellation, " Pignoletto Bolognese, the flagship of production, is closely linked to the local market and the restaurant industry, which is struggling somewhat. But families are also more cautious, and wine consumption is suffering. And there's a lot to do for wine tourism: for many tourists, Emilia-Romagna stands out for its food, but its wine isn't as well-known."

"Quality and quantity are promising despite the unfavorable national and international climate," adds Giorgio Chiarli, Tenuta Santa Croce, vice president and representative of the Colli Bolognesi in the Consortium. "The hot spells have been partially mitigated by the rain, although the recent hailstorm did cause some problems."

But overall, "the entire hillside has a few more headaches," he considers. "It's a message we need to get across to consumers: you might spend a euro more for a bottle, but there's exceptional quality and protection of the land. These are issues that need to be addressed to find a new balance." How? "Some funding would be needed to build new rainwater collection basins," he concludes, "which would also be useful to prevent water from reaching the valley floor all at once. And with less 'brain-deep' formulas, because it's sometimes complicated to access tenders." Furthermore, "there has been little attention to guiding farmers in converting their vineyards. During a period of declining consumption, which has been ongoing since the 1960s, vineyards have been uprooted from the hills to be planted on the plains, where yields are up to four times higher. Perhaps it would have been better to support hillside farming."