Terre de Vins reports an unusually early 2026 harvest in the northern Rhône after a season marked by prolonged drought and repeated heatwaves. Picking generally began nearly two weeks ahead of the average in recent years, in some cases as early as mid-August, and moved quickly. At Domaine Chave in Mercurol-Veaune, which works in Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage, Yann Chave said the 18 August start was the earliest he had experienced. The report also points to rainfall on 15 August as welcome relief during the dry spell.
Gambero Rosso reports that Sarah Dei Tos is picking Glera grapes at night in Vittorio Veneto, where heat is advancing the harvest. She began this year’s picking on 17 August, while her grandfather harvested in late September or sometimes early October. Her picking now takes place between three and eight in the morning. Dei Tos is working with researchers to examine what happens to the grapes in darkness and at different temperatures, including how they respond at different hours of the day.
D.O. Rueda reports that high temperatures and scarce rainfall brought forward the start of its 2026 grape harvest. The campaign ran from August 12 to September 24, covering 44 days across the denomination’s 74 municipalities. Technical director Jesús Díez de Íscar said the conditions required monitoring individual parcels to determine when grapes should be collected. Ripening allowed the harvest to proceed in stages, with picking adapted to each parcel and variety. Most of the harvesting was carried out mechanically and at night.
WineNews reports that two Italian lawmakers have announced a bipartisan proposal to allow Piwi vine varieties in the country’s Doc and Docg wines. Senator Gian Marco Centinaio of Lega and parliament member Antonella Forattini of Pd announced the proposal at “50 sfumature di Pinot Noir” in Voghera, Oltrepò. The publisher frames the debate around the future of viticulture, describing a move toward more sustainable vineyards intended to resist disease and climate change and require less water. This is a proposal, not a completed regulatory change.
INIA reports a programme supporting small pisco-grape growers in Coquimbo facing prolonged drought, ageing vineyards and inadequate irrigation systems. The initiative covers farmers in Elqui, Limarí and Choapa, combining farm-level diagnosis and planning with productive investment, technical assistance and training. INIA Intihuasi convened a coordination meeting led by regional director Francisco Meza to bring participating institutions and sector representatives together. The programme receives funding from Coquimbo’s regional government through the National Fund for Regional Development. Limited adoption of modern technologies is another problem identified in the report.
Plataforma Tecnológica del Vino reports that a September 30 webinar examined vineyard biodiversity and climate adaptation. Researcher Jesús Yuste presented Vitis Climadapt, a network bringing together 13 organizations from different Spanish regions alongside other scientific collaborators to explore grapevine genetic resources for adaptation. Agromillora’s Guillermo Laguna discussed rootstocks and PIWI varieties as vineyard adaptation approaches. The webinar also covered ECOSPHEREWINES, which worked across four experimental areas in France, Portugal and Spain. Its landscape strategy combined biodiversity conservation with climate resilience and produced 28 actions tailored to different participants. The event was organized with Spain’s wine interprofessional organization, OIVE.
EVENA has launched a grapevine climate-adaptation trial on a farm in Sabaiza, in Navarra’s municipality of Ezprogui, Tecnovino reports. The work is being carried out through Navarra’s Department of Rural Development and Environment. The experimental vineyard sits at an altitude of 820 metres. It brings together 28 grape varieties, with native varieties included in the research. The trial will examine how vines behave as climatic conditions change and identify agricultural practices and varieties for adapting viticulture in the Navarra appellation.
Gambero Rosso reports that Colli Berici has changed its wine rules to introduce pergola training as a response to excessive heat. The change covers new vineyards and replantings in hillside areas. Previously reserved for Garganega, the method is being extended to all grape varieties grown on the hills, according to president Silvio Dani. The report describes pergola training as a way to shield grape bunches from direct sunlight. Dani discussed the change at Gustus 2026 as a practical response to changing climatic conditions.
VVQ reports that the M.OR.VI.S.A. project is testing compost and biochar to improve vineyard soils and water management. Led by Ri.Nova and funded by Emilia-Romagna, the project explores using agricultural and winemaking byproducts to increase soil organic matter, retain water and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Three soil amendments are being examined: compost, biochar and a material called CB MIX. The compost used in the trials is produced in Faenza, partly from winemaking residues. The biochar is made by pyrolysis of woody material, which can include vineyard prunings.
Provence’s 2026 grape harvest was early and took place amid exceptional heat, several heatwaves and drought, according to a Terre de Vins report published on September 28. Summer rain and preparations carried out in advance helped limit the damage from those conditions. Two episodes of rain also slowed harvesting before Grenache, Syrah and Rolle were brought in. In the Var, consulting oenologist Gilles Masson, who owns Domaine Masson, described the resilience of vines that remained green after three separate heatwaves.
SevenFifty Daily’s October 1 report examines how studying smoke-stressed grapevines could lead to new ways to protect grapes and treat wine. Scientists have linked the reappearance of smoke taint to protective measures triggered when vines are under smoke stress. Jennifer Mortimer, Ph.D., a professor of plant synthetic biology at Adelaide University, suggests that vines’ broader response to smoke includes glycosylation beyond the GT1 enzyme family. The report highlights the value of further research into these responses across a range of grape varieties.
WineNews reports that Burgundy is confronting climate change with water and soil at the center of its response. The Italian-language item presents the perspective of Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair, described by the publisher as one of the prestigious estates in this globally renowned wine region. Its headline frames the effort as a way to defend the terroir’s patrimonial value, while the deck identifies water and soil as the central themes. Together, the headline and deck portray a Burgundy estate’s climate response as an effort rooted in the vineyard’s land and water, with the protection of terroir as the stated aim.
According to the Australian Wine Research Institute, recent rainfall has produced abundant green feed and good soil-moisture levels in Australian farming areas, creating favorable conditions for Australian plague locusts. AWRI’s September 11 update focuses specifically on locust management in winegrape vineyards. The item connects a recent weather pattern with a vineyard-management concern: rainfall has changed surrounding conditions in ways that favor the pest, while the update addresses management in vineyards. AWRI identifies the insect as a significant agricultural pest and frames the report for winegrape settings. This makes the story a weather-vine adaptation item grounded in a recent rainfall signal rather than a general wine-business report.
WineNews reports that drought is affecting vineyards in Abruzzo as the 2026 Italian harvest progresses. Growers there were still concentrating on early-ripening white grapes, including Pecorino and Trebbiano, while the drought was also expected to affect Montepulciano d’Abruzzo; its harvest was scheduled to begin around mid-September. At Etna, the outlet reported that white-grape harvesting was expected around mid-September, followed by reds from late September into early October, broadly matching the usual schedule. WineNews also described Valpolicella as already in full harvest mode and noted that the first bunches had been picked in Bolgheri while other major red-wine regions remained several days or weeks from harvest.
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