Vendemmia 2026: A Harvest of Decisions

Heat, rain and a hundred small choices. How our winemaker Giulio guided the 2026 harvest at Gagliole.

Some harvests follow the calendar. Others ask you to listen. 2026 was one of the latter.

After a summer of intense heat, many berries had begun to dry on the vine before picking even started. From the first day, the question was not only when to harvest, but where first.

Castellina first

We began on the terraces at Gagliole, in Castellina. The heat had taken its toll here, and the berries needed to come in quickly. What we picked was small in quantity but remarkable in concentration.

From there, Giulio moved the team to Panzano, to the vineyards of La Massa, where the same urgency applied.

The rain

In the middle of the harvest, about 13 mm of rain fell in a single spell. Within a day, the first signs of botrytis appeared in La Valle.

“Every day I had to decide which vineyards needed to be harvested immediately and which could be left to ripen further,” says Giulio. The next morning, the whole team was in La Valle. They picked in time, protecting both the grapes and their quality.

The old vines, and cooler nights

Then the weather turned. The last days of September brought cooler nights and calm, clear days. The team harvested the old vines at Valletta Alta, in Panzano, the highest part of the estate, and the grapes from Cappella dei Pesci. The Cabernet Franc from there is now fermenting in amphora.

The last Sangiovese came from Monticino, in Castellina. Some grapes from the terraced vineyards of Gagliole, left on the vine because they were not yet ripe enough, were picked later and joined the best of Monticino in a separate vat. “It could turn into something interesting,” Giulio says.

The final grapes of the year were the white varieties, Malvasia Bianca and Trebbiano. They rested overnight in the cold room before pressing.

In the cellar

The harvest was selective from start to finish, with careful sorting first in the vineyard and again in the cellar. Now the wines are being drained and gently pressed after around three weeks on the skins.

Because this year’s tannins needed a gentle hand, Giulio works mainly by infusion, with only occasional pump-overs. The aim is to draw out the fruit and structure of the vintage without any hardness.

When Lucas and our consultant Paolo Salvi tasted the young wines straight from the tanks, the verdict was clear: given the difficulties of the year, the quality is very good.

Less, but very good

2026 will be a smaller vintage at Gagliole. But every decision this autumn had the same purpose. In Giulio’s words:

“My objective remains to bring the best possible grapes into the cellar.”

The first to taste the 2026 vintage will be the members of our Wine Club.

Meanwhile, the olive harvest is beginning in our groves. The new oil will follow soon.