Lugana DOC Winemakers Collaborate After Hailstorm Damage to Harvest

It will take some time before the vineyard farmers and wine producers in the area associated with Lugana DOC production are able to mend the wounds inflicted on their crops and cellars, following that unprecedented hailstorm which caused destruction across much of the Lower Garda territories. A very serious situation that could also jeopardize next year’s harvest, especially due to the damage sustained by the Trebbiano di Lugana vines.

Advantages related to the 2000 harvest

However, amid the misfortune, there is also a silver lining, particularly regarding the white grape harvest of 2000. While the vineyards suffered significant damage, one can say that the exceptional course of the weather season enabled this year’s harvest operations to be anticipated by about fifteen days compared to traditional dates.

Preparations and situations in the most affected areas

And so, in keeping with the saying “God sees, God provides,” on the terrible evening of September 16th, there were still very few grape bunches left to harvest in the vineyards, as most of the grapes—especially those with white berries—had already been collected. Certainly, in certain zones, particularly those most affected, especially around Pozzolengo — often considered the heart of Lugana DOC production — the damages observed were quite substantial.

Intervention of Francesco Arrigoni

Rightfully, Francesco Arrigoni, a wine and food expert, in his intervention in Pozzolengo, just a week after the severe event and during the meeting focused on “Hills, wines, and wineries of Pozzolengo” — which also included the president of the Consorzio Tutela Lugana DOC, avv. Francesco Ghiraldi — urged producers to foster productive and supportive cooperation among those more or less affected. The idea was that those with overproduction could share some of their yield with less fortunate colleagues, and vice versa, those no longer able to sell Lugana DOC could direct buyers towards companies with available stock.

Protection and production objectives

All of this aiming at the community goal of maintaining the high image that Lugana has been gradually building in recent years, reaching the ranks of the best and most prestigious national and international productions.

Production reductions before the thunderstorm

Even before the violent thunderstorm, the producers themselves had decided to further optimize Lugana DOC production by reducing the allowable and expected production quantities per hectare as outlined in the regulations, decreasing the harvest — with consequent thinning of the grape clusters — to 80 quintals per hectare for Trebbiano grapes destined for the “Superiore” and to 100 quintals per hectare for those intended for Lugana tradizionale.