Harvest anticipated by at least ten days also in Tuscany. The record heat of this summer has shortened the times throughout Italy, with no region excluded, including Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige. In Franciacorta, a region known for classic Italian sparkling wine, the grape harvest began on the last day of July, the earliest harvest ever, while in Sicily, a few days earlier, the so-called “100 days” harvest started from the westernmost area of the island to finish in the northeast and on the heights of Etna.
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In Tuscany, from Chianti to the coast, the harvest was anticipated by about ten days on average, up to two weeks. The start came in the first days of August. The anticipation is obviously on the white sparkling wines, chardonnay and manseng, and on vermentino. But also on the red destined for rosé. Francesco Mazzei, president of the Maremma Toscana Wine Protection Consortium, says: “We anticipated the harvest of white grapes and other early varieties. The quality is good, because despite the record heat there is a good water reserve thanks to winter rains. The only concern is related to the weather in the coming weeks: if it should hail, then the scenario would change rapidly.”
Anticipation but patchy inland. “The reds are on track – comments Giovanni Busi, president of the Chianti Wine Consortium – The sangiovese harvest is anticipated only in some areas for rosé.”
Also in Bolgheri “the harvest of white grapes was anticipated, while for the great reds – says Daniele Parri, director of the Consortium for the protection of Doc Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia wines – the timing is regular.”
Flavio Nuti, owner together with his brother Luca of Cantina La Regola, in Riparbella (in the Lower Val di Cecina) started the harvest on August 4. “We anticipated by about ten days – says the producer – with the white grapes for the sparkling wines, which we produce. The grapes are very beautiful, ripe, the heat did not cause problems; the unknown is the weather in the coming weeks: to conclude this year in the best way we would need some refreshing rain.”
But beyond the earliness of the harvest, there is another important novelty in the 2026 Tuscan harvest: it is the reduction of yields decided by the Tuscany Region with a resolution that accepted the requests of the major Protection Consortia. A 20 percent reduction both for Igt and for Doc productions. “An important measure – comments Nuti – especially for the “blending” wine, because quality companies already have very low yields. A measure that should be extended throughout Italy: it is the only way to deal with stocks; otherwise, uprooting must be considered, as the French teach us.”
The Tuscan regional council approved on August 4 the resolutions concerning the reduction of production yields for the 2026 harvest, accepting the requests made by the Protection Consortia of Brunello di Montalcino Docg, Chianti Docg, Chianti Classico Docg and Toscana Igt. For the denominations Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti and Chianti Classico, measures were also adopted regarding the “destination of any production surpluses of the campaign.” The resolutions, says the regional agriculture assessor Leonardo Marras, “allow adjusting the production potential to the actual market absorption capacity, managing any surpluses according to the methods provided by the regulations and contributing to the economic sustainability of companies, price stability and the continuous qualitative improvement of wine productions. These measures represent much more than a technical measure, they express a precise idea of wine policy. Tuscany does not wait for events to decide the future of its wine, it anticipates, interprets and governs them together with the Protection Consortia and the entire supply chain. For this reason, we use all the tools that the legislator makes available.”
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