"All end-of-year budgets have their ups and downs, but this year we can say that the campaign has ended on a high note," says Gianni Raniolo, president of the Consorzio dell'Uva da Tavola di Mazzarrone IGP (Mazzarrone PGI Table Grape Consortium), who, on returning from the LUV fair held in Bari a few days ago, described the results of the campaign, which seems to be lacking only in terms of yields.
Gianni Raniolo at LUV Fiera
The list of problems faced by the producers is short but intense, starting with the lack of irrigation water, which has affected volumes, but whether it has been an absolute disaster remains to be seen, as Raniolo himself explains: "This year's drought has put us to the test and, like last year, has determined a natural selection of the fruit, which was of good quality only in the best vineyards."
In the case of the Italia variety, the drought caused some physiopathy
"The market has only rewarded those who have delivered good quality products," he continued, "leaving behind those who, because of the age of the vines or the complexity of the plantations, could not irrigate in our reference area. Unfortunately, in the case of the Italia variety, the prolonged and intense heat also led to an excessive concentration of sugars in the berries, resulting in a physiopathy known as rust and the consequent depreciation of a large part of the crop. The drawback in this case is more aesthetic, as it is unjustly undervalued in large retail outlets. Although the grapes are very tasty, very sweet and have a very strong muscatel flavour, some growers say that the visual aspect is more important. With the Italia grapes, we have seen an overall drop in yield of 35-40%, while with the other varieties, although they have also dropped, the percentages have been much more acceptable."
"Foreign markets have responded well to the supply of our best batches," says the expert, "and this should be an opportunity for us to learn. As producers, we should have the courage to uproot old vineyards and replant them in the right proportions with the new selections, but also with the Italia variety, which remains the cornerstone of our agricultural activity. Meanwhile, the interest of the markets, including national markets, in seedless grapes (see the photo above of the Autumn Crisp® variety), organic and biodynamic grapes, which are increasingly in demand even by older consumers, is continuing against the trend of previous years. There has been a 30% increase in prices from September due to the lack of product in the country. Meanwhile, we are working on converting the seedless vineyards to extend the late season, as we have been focusing on early varieties."
For more information: 
Giovanni Raniolo
Consorzio di Tutela dell'Uva
da Tavola di Mazzarrone Igp
Tel.: +39 335 1033575
[email protected]