Every year Mauro Sirri, co-owner of Celli vineyard with Emanuele Casadei, writes some comments about latest harvest:

“WHAT IS NEXT? LOCUST INVASION?”

COMPANY HARVEST NUMBER 57 – MAURO SIRRI’S HARVEST NUMBER 38

Dear Friends,

I copy here the first sentences I wrote last year:

From East to West, North to South, cities or countryside, we had to face an invisible enemy, able to hide also in our loved ones. Scars are going to stay for a few years, both in our bodies and in the world economy.

Two years have passed since the beginning of this terrible pandemic, with winter worsening and variants. Apart from the epidemic threat, lack of long-term outlook of governments and central banks worsened the situation (last May they “blessed 2% minimum inflation rate” and set fire to speculation that was to go out of control). As of today, the same “far-sighted” economists admit that inflation is not going to be only temporary.

Their efforts to protect profits of speculations put at risk the production chain, made of people who earn their living with goods and services, not just betting on next Bitcoin price.

Nowadays we are stuck in a bottleneck: commodities double their prices, the cost of energy has raised by 40% and, in our case, we continue to suffer from severe droughts that reduce grape production by 25-40%.

In 2021 climate conditions were characterised by drought for most of the year: in fact, last heavy rainfall dates back to autumn 2020. In April late frost damaged the area of the plain and valley floor, burning the first buds.  Summer was hot and very dry, even though this is no more a piece of news.

Temperature inversion during the second week of September safeguarded grape ripening and harvest. Admittedly, berry analyses registered an unexpected balance with low PH levels and good acidity.

Crunchy grapes, respectful of varietal features, will give high quality wines with personality.

Our commercial policy is traditionally balanced, unluckily, this year we are compelled to make a little increase in prices, to face the increased cost of materials. We have high hopes for harvest 2022: we hope to have normal yields and to go back to economic and health pseudo-normality for everybody.

Mauro Sirri