Climate & Vines in Italy

I have spent the better part of my adult life among the vines. At forty, my days still begin with the same rhythm, brushing my hand along the leaves and checking the grapes that will one day carry our family name on their labels. But lately, the air feels heavier. Not just with the morning mist, but with something more troubling: pollution.

Ozone, they say, is the silent enemy of our vines. I see it in the leaves—tiny spots, premature yellowing, a kind of tiredness that shouldn’t come so early in the season. Yields shrink, sugars rise too fast, and the balance we rely on for expressive wines becomes harder to hold. I still believe in the resilience of these vines. They’ve outlasted wars, droughts, and storms. But air pollution is different. It chips away at quality year after year. Some neighbors harvest earlier now, forced by the pace of ripening, while others invest in protective methods that barely keep up with the changes.