Those with discrete volumes of grapes, both seedless and traditional, considering that bunches have recently reached as much as 10 euro/kg on the shelves of some Italian supermarkets. Supplies remain low, meaning the commercial calendar might not reach the upcoming Christmas holidays.
In Apulia, it is difficult to find vineyards with bunches still on the vines. Producers have finished the 2024 season, and volumes have all been stored.
"I delivered my last grapes a few days ago. Quotations on the vine have never been so high for traditional cultivars (we are talking about 2.00 €/kg). It is definitely a shot in the arm, but several quantities were lost. No one got rich around here, as we recorded drops of up to 50%," reports Apulian entrepreneur Benny Porcelli.
"Up until two years ago, many of us producers took to the streets due to a serious market crisis that forced us to sell off our grapes with quotations of only € 0.30-0.40/kg. Many even brought large volumes of grapes to the cellars out of desperation. This year, the same grapes sold for unimaginable amounts. We are told that consumers prefer seedless varieties, yet we wonder why now the traditional cultivars, albeit maybe not being the preferred ones, have similar market values. Never before have both types been on supermarket shelves as they were this year, allowing consumers to actually choose what they really wanted to buy. I believe that local varieties, for which managing costs are higher, will continue to have their own commercial value, perhaps entering niche markets. In our region, the areas dedicated to seedless grapes surpassed those of traditional grapes already in the previous months. Then there are those who, even after harvesting and finishing the season, prefer to uproot them up and replace them with more modern grapes."
For more information:
Az agricola Porcelli Leonardo
+39 327 879 1848 (Benny Porcelli)
[email protected]