There is a moment in the year of every wine estate when everything converges towards a single goal. Months of work in the vineyard, from winter pruning to summer management, begin to point towards that ancient, decisive gesture that closes the cycle of the vintage: the harvest.
At Villa Dianella, in August, that moment starts to draw near. The clusters that in May were small, green and compact are now in full ripening. The air of the estate, among the vineyards of the Vinci hills, fills with that particular anticipation that precedes the harvest.
There are still a few weeks to go, but the 2026 harvest is now on the horizon.
Veraison: When the Grapes Change Colour
The key moment of August in the vineyard is veraison.
It is the transition when the berries change colour and begin to accumulate sugars. For a red grape variety like Sangiovese, which is the heart of Dianella’s production, it means the transformation from green to red. The clusters, until shortly before hard and unripe, begin to take on colour, to soften, to become at last wine grapes.
Veraison is a fascinating moment to observe. It does not happen all at once: it proceeds berry by berry, cluster by cluster, plot by plot. In the same vineyard you can see simultaneously clusters still green and clusters already coloured, in a mosaic that changes day by day.
From this moment on, ripening enters its final phase. Sugars rise, acidity falls, tannins and aromas develop. It is the period in which the balance of the wine to come is built.
A Month of Constant Observation
August in the vineyard is above all a month of observation. The heavy work of the season is now done, but the most delicate phase begins: understanding when the grapes are ready.
Ripening is checked every day. Berries are tasted to assess sweetness, acidity, skin texture, the flavour of the seeds. Data is monitored with periodic analyses measuring sugar content and total acidity. Every plot has its own timing, and every variety ripens differently.
Protection of the clusters from the heat also continues. The days of August are the hottest of the year, and protecting the grapes from sunburn is essential to bringing them to harvest in perfect condition. The kaolin treatment, the white clay that reflects the sun, helps keep the clusters safe from thermal stress in the most intense hours.
It is work of precision and patience. Bringing the harvest forward by a few days or delaying it can change the character of the wine. The final decision is not made by the calendar: it is made by the grapes.
The Outlook for the 2026 Vintage
Every vintage is different, and the 2026 harvest carries with it the story of a particular season.
A very rainy May filled the water reserves of the estate’s clay soil. The Pliocene blue clays that characterise Dianella’s vineyards have an extraordinary capacity to retain water: a precious resource that allowed the vines to cope well with the summer heat.
In the last weeks of July, some storms and hail episodes in the area had raised concern for the harvest and the quality of the grapes. But the danger is now behind us: the vineyards held up well, the clusters came through the bad weather healthy, and today the estate looks ahead with confidence, awaiting a harvest that promises to be excellent.
The clusters are healthy, well formed, with a good number of berries and an even distribution. After the successful flowering in May, a demanding summer handled well, and the late-July bad-weather risk now behind us, the foundations for a quality vintage are truly all in place.
When the Harvest Will Begin
The harvest itself will begin between the end of August and September, depending on how the final weeks unfold.
The first grapes to be picked will be those destined for the sparkling wine base. These are grapes harvested earlier than the others, when acidity is still high and sugar levels are lower: the ideal conditions for obtaining a fresh, balanced base for sparkling wine production. Next will come the other white grape varieties, and finally the Sangiovese, which gives life to Chianti Dianella, Il Matto and the estate’s other reds. The harvest will be staggered over time, plot by plot, following the ripening of each vineyard.
At Villa Dianella the harvest is still largely done by hand for the finest selections. Picking by hand allows the best clusters to be chosen, the less healthy ones to be discarded and the grapes to be handled with the care they deserve. It is exhausting but valuable work that makes the difference to the final quality of the wine.
Until then, we observe. We wait. We taste. And we prepare everything for the moment when the grapes will say they are ready. The 2026 harvest is coming, and with it the beginning of a new story to be told in the glass.
