Tenute Rubino > Press Area > Announced > Harvest 2009 in Tenute Rubino

Harvest 2009 in Tenute Rubino: the microclimatic peculiarities of the territory at the service of the quality. "Fresh and fruity white wines, more elegance and complexity in the red wines".
Luigi Rubino: 'Lower production volume but great quality. We expect great things from this particular vintage, in which the interactions between climate and land play an extraordinary role, especially along the coastal area, thanks to the presence of the sea.'

The new frontier of the Italian quality wine moves towards south, finding in Salento a privileged land. In the last ten years, Apulia has stepped forward towards the target of high quality and finally begins to break the commonplaces of enological backwardness and of a vine production focussed only on quantity and yields for plants.

The number of wine producers devoted to the research of quality has luckily increased thanks to the contribution of new wineries, that – in the space of five-ten vintages – have been able to emerge, conveying a production philosophy meant for the realization of excellence and territorial typicality.

It is in the vineyard that a true 'revolution' has taken place: here radical interventions have been carried out, modern training-systems have been developed, a targeted and selective viticulture has been practiced, investing on the training of the workers and on the native grape varieties, particularly on those varieties faced with the danger of extinction. It is still an uphill way but with positive elements that look promising for a great step forward in the field of quality wines in Apulia. This region – which is the first one to produce must grapes (we should not forget this) – is strategic for the destiny of the Italian wine in the world.

Tenute Rubino emerges among these wineries in the countryside of Brindisi. It has experienced about ten vintages, one better than the other, acquiring a respectable reputation and a solid position in the market, which nowadays is so difficult to observe in a context of a general reduction of the consumptions.

The harvest of 2009 is really exemplary to understand how the climatic conditions recorded in Salento in winter and in spring, as well as in summertime (after sprouting), are important for the definition of wine quality. Generally, we can say that the vintage 2009 will go down in history for the high amount of rains fallen in winter, in great part of spring, and even at the beginning of summer, in June.

This circumstance has caused a general cooling of the soil and a delay of some weeks in the sprouting of the plants; the soil cooling has then faded because of the gradual raising of the temperatures and the restoration of the pedoclimatic conditions in this region, which is characterized by the influence of the sea, and the loosen, deep, almost sandy soils, able to drain the excess water.

Such specific features of the soils, particularly in the estates of Jaddico and Marmorelle, have allowed to better manage the risks of Downy mildew (only a few cases have occurred in Salento), and the usual and preventive treatments with sulphur have been enough to contrast the occurrence of the disease. Therefore, undamaged and sound bunches, although loose and with a bit smaller berries, in comparison with the past years, because of the delay in the growing of the plants in the early stage.

Therefore, Tenute Rubino is in line with the actual decrease of the yield, which today – for the Harvest 2009 in Apulia – is estimated to be 10% - 15% less than 2008. Nonetheless, the most important news is the quality: despite of the microclimatic aspects and the sudden shift from rain to warm, the sanitary state and the accumulation of sugar in the grapes (especially in the native white berry varieties) augur well for the vintage 2009. These parameters fully reflect the usual vintage trend of Tenute Rubino and nourish the sense of optimism in the technical staff of the Salentinian winery.

'The exceptional weather conditions, especially in spring – explains Luigi Rubino – have undoubtedly influenced the normal carrying out of the farming operations and the working of the soil and, therefore, the consequent growing of the plants. Nevertheless, the delay has been replaced thanks to the more favourable climate in the warmest months, which has gradually re-balanced the vegetative reproduction, allowing the standard ripening process of the grapes. We have brought in cellar grapes with smaller, but richer and more concentrated bunches, perfectly sound grapes and to the right degree of ripening. The white wines will have a higher acidity, and then, a stronger sensation of freshness and fragrance; the red wines will show a balance and clearness of the varietal smells, which will be rounder and softer. These are the reasons why we expect great things from this vintage'.

In substance, the weather conditions recorded in the four farm estates of Tenute Rubino have been managed with small agronomic and viticultural interventions, with the reduction of the excessive sprouting; and when the production load of the plants was in accordance to the parameters of production established for each vineyard and trained variety, no thinning operation was carried out. It was an extraordinary climatic trend, especially in its early stage, which gradually has been normalizing, confirming the qualitative picture expected for the harvest 2009. Such climatic trend is featured by the day and night temperatures, which are recorded in the time close to the harvest, namely in the period of development of those organoleptic and aromatic qualities which are necessary to obtain high quality wines. The strong temperature range between day and night (with the night temperature 10/12 C° less than the day) and the effects of further cooling produced by the sea-breeze on the vineyards close to the coast, have played an important role in the definition of the qualitative standards of the grapes, especially for red berry grapes, in which the pigmentation and ripening of the substance contained in the peels have a primary importance in the achievement of the qualitative standards of the great red wines.

The Harvest 2009 in Tenute Rubino. The single grape varieties and the Harvest calendar

Chardonnay is the first variety to be harvested, in the middle of August. The vegetative reproduction of the plants has been regular in the early stages of growing; then, it has begun to slow down, because of the great number of rains in late spring and in early summer. This delay has occurred during the period of berries’ development, producing a reduction of their size. With the increase of the sun’s radiation and of the temperatures, this delay has been filled, restoring the harvest calendar. The Chardonnay of Tenute Rubino has displayed since the first laboratory checks an excellent quality both in the analytical parameters and in the organoleptic features.

The present vintage can really mark the definitive consecration of the Vermentino of Tenute Rubino, the last variety introduced in the ampelographic heritage of the winery and which is giving great satisfactions for the welcome received in the market. The high quality of the grapes recorded in the days close to the harvest – which has taken place in the first decade of September – seems promising for a very fresh wine, with intense scents and strong acidity. In the phases preceding the harvest, the quality of the grapes was very good, even though, in the last week, the ripening came to a slight slowdown, which has a little reduced the sugar in grapes. Nonetheless, in the sampling, the technical staff of Tenute Rubino has observed very good values of total acidity and pH, which are guarantee of the high quality of the grapes. The expectations are good also for the White Malvasia, the main white berry variety of Tenute Rubino, with an absolutely regular vegetative production and perfectly respected ripening times: the grapes have been picked – as usual – within the first decade of September.

As far as the red berry variety is concerned, the harvest is still in progress; however, the visual, taste and laboratory examination performed on the samples, reveals a good quality of the grapes and an excellent balance between acidity and sugar level, although in a situation where the ripening times, in the same vineyard and for the same grape variety, were different.

Such a peculiar and unusual situation is no doubt largely the result of a different interaction among weather conditions, soil and temperatures occurred in the early phase of sprouting, which consequently came to a strong slowdown. The vegetative development of the red berry varieties has been a little more complicated; however, the quality of the grapes has not been affected by this circumstance. The spring rains have delayed the agronomic operations in the vineyards, with consequent slowing down of the early phase of the foliar apparatus development. This phenomenon has caused dissimilarities in the shape of the bunches, inside the various allotments, as well as among the varieties grown in the same allotment. This was so especially for the native Negroamaro. The initial delay of sprouting – even if filled in the warm months thanks to a favourable climate – has however caused dissimilarities in the shape of the bunches, and the ripening of the plants has not followed a linear path. The harvest of Negroamaro grapes is still in progress and it will end within the second decade of September. At the present stage of ripening, the integrity of grapes is good, and the trend of the sugar accumulation, along with the acidity and pH values, seem to confirm a good vintage for the red wines.

Grown in the estate of Jaddico, the Susumaniello is the last variety to be harvested. It is a grape variety of great tradition, whose growing has been launched again by Tenute Rubino to preserve an important and rare element of the regional viticultural heritage. Its vegetative development is continuously monitored by the winery, according to rigorous production specifications, in order to obtain grapes of extraordinary quality.

Also this year, Susumaniello’s bunches have had a slow ripening and the influence of the temperature range in the coastal areas (the sea-breeze blowing continuously prevents the excessive humidity) have favoured the accumulation of polyphenols and of aromatic substances. The harvest is planned for the end of September and, at the present state, the production quality is excellent also thanks to the right balance between foliar surface and production.

Great expectations also for the Primitivo: also in this case, the pre-harvest examinations performed on the samples reveal a more uniform degree of ripening in comparison with the Negroamaro. The sprouting, which occurred in the first week of April, both in the estate of Uggìo and Punta Aquila, has been very satisfying, as well as the whole later development of the plants. Some problem emerged only during the fruit setting, because of the jumps in temperature recorded in that period, with a kind of natural bunch thinning and, therefore, a lower yield per plant. The harvest ended in the first half of September.

Brindisi, September 2009
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