{
  "id": 534161,
  "title": "Extreme heat is reshaping Italy’s sparkling wine industry with early harvests and nighttime picking",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/extreme-heat-is-reshaping-italys-sparkling-wine-industry-with-early",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-11T04:53:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/italy-sparkling-wines-early-harvest-fd8e3845479332fe1baff824a3fcbd61"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Italian sparkling wine industry faces challenges as extreme heat accelerates harvests\n\nWorkers in northern Italy's Franciacorta wine-producing region are beginning the harvest of grapes destined for the region's prized Franciacorta sparkling wine up to 10 days earlier than expected due to scorching temperatures. These unprecedented early harvests are a result of a combination of high daytime temperatures, reaching between 37 and 38 degrees Celsius (99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit), and below-average rainfall.\n\nThe accelerated ripening of the grapes has forced winemakers to make quick decisions, as even a few days can mean the difference between a good vintage and a bad one. Arturo Ziliani, CEO of Berlucchi, the oldest producer of Franciacorta wine, expressed the urgency and delicacy of the situation, stating that \"These are delicate, frantic moments, and everything has to work perfectly.\"\n\nThe combination of extreme heat and reduced rainfall has forced winemakers to start harvesting grapes as early as August 2, about a month earlier than three decades ago and ten days earlier than last year. This early start is part of an industry-wide effort to preserve grape quality in the face of increasingly extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. The traditional method of producing Franciacorta involves secondary fermentation in the bottle, and Berlucchi's efforts aim to ensure the highest quality despite the challenging environmental conditions.",
  "summary": "CORTE FRANCA, Italy (AP) — Workers fan out before dawn to clip clusters of grapes destined to be transformed into Italy’s prized Franciacorta sparkling wine a full 10 days earlier than anticipated, as scorching temperatures brought the fruit to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}