Drought shapes harvest timing in Abruzzo as Etna stays near schedule

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.