Lugana of Sirmione 2001 Harvest Highlights Lower Yield, High Sugar Levels

Lugana di Sirmione. – “Less but better” is certainly an apt way to describe the now concluded 2001 harvest season. There was a decrease in Trebbiano di Lugana production, which in some cases reached peaks of up to 40% compared to the 2000 harvest, which, it’s worth recalling, was already 20/25% below the previous year. This decline, while concerning some producers, also highlights their professionalism through several peaks in must sugar levels, which reached 21/22° Babo.

The same President of the Lugana DOC Protection Consortium, Paolo Fabiani, confirms this situation. “The results are very promising; it’s a very interesting season on one hand, given the high sugar levels, and on the other, we’ve experienced limited production, which causes some small issues in the business. Nonetheless, I confirm it’s an excellent year. All signs point to us producing a truly interesting product to be released in 2002.”

Analysis of sugar levels and prices

“The sugar level – continues Paolo Fabiani – in some vineyards this year exceeds 20° Babo, meaning a wine that could potentially reach around 14° alcohol. I believe that during vinification, it will be worth considering the possibility of making some cuvée blends with Lugana harvested earlier for sparkling wine bases.”

There’s also mention of the grape prices following the guidelines provided by the Chambers of Commerce. President Fabiani states that “market prices have generally been rising. It started somewhat quietly, likely because there wasn’t an expectation of such a scarce yield. Currently, Lugana grapes are priced above 150,000 lire per quintale. I’ve heard prices reaching from 160,000 to 170,000 lire per quintale.

I can say that there isn’t a true grape market specifically reserved for Superiore production. Today, Superiore is produced only by producer companies that select and vinify part of their own harvest. It’s fair to say that the majority of production from these companies is vinified for Superiore.”

Responses regarding harvest timing

Regarding some past statements about the timing of the harvest’s start being advanced, how do you respond? “When one talks about advancing the timing, it’s essential to understand well the climatic trends and what the ripening grapes tell us through tests and analyses conducted in the vineyard. Clearly, for Lugana, given that the 2001 production was very limited, based on soil analyses with sugar levels Babo exceeding 20°, I believe there was no reason to wait further, especially since acidity begins to decrease once a certain sugar threshold is reached.”

Producers with limited yield per hectare necessarily need to harvest earlier than others. Certainly – concludes President Fabiani – the product to be released in 2002, both the traditional type and especially the Superiore, will be very, very interesting.”