Heat, Local Hail, and Storms in Piedmont: A Challenging Year for Winemakers

I often think back to the summers between 2012 and 2019, when I lived in Piedmont. Three years in Barbaresco, three years in Barolo, and one year in Monferrato. There were certainly warm summers. Some were even quite hot. But what we’re experiencing today feels different.

The summer of 2026 seems to go on forever. The heat persists, rain is scarce, and when the skies finally open up, Mother Nature doesn’t exactly do it subtly.

In some Italian wine regions, harvesting had already begun by mid-July. In Piedmont, too, the harvest is expected to starttwo to three weeks earlier than usualthis year .

And with that, a period begins for the Piedmontese winegrower in which he has little control over the process.

Climate change is no longer a topic of debate in the vineyard

A few years ago, climate activist Anuna De Wever spoke at length about climate change and its consequences. Media attention on the topic seems to have waned today.

But in the vineyards of Piedmont, climate change is not a theoretical discussion.

You see it. You feel it. And above all: you have to deal with it.

The 2026 harvest promises to be one of the most challenging ever. Not only because of the persistent drought and heat, but also because of the increasingly unpredictable weather.

Storms and hailstorms sweep across small areas, sometimes literally creating mini-disasters just a few kilometers apart.

Take this week’s storm and hail event in the Barolo area, for example.

Within the same appellation, there were enormous differences. In Roddi, reports indicate that 70 to 80 millimeters of rain fell in less than an hour, resulting in severe damage to the vines. In Serralunga d’Alba, the rainfall was normal. And in Monforte d’Alba, it simply remained dry.

Three villages, one wine region, and three completely different stories.

That is perhaps the most frightening aspect of the current climate: you can hardly predict what will happen in your vineyard in a few hours, let alone in a few weeks.

It’s giving winemakers gray hair

For a winegrower, this means sleepless nights, constant worry, and decisions that are getting harder and harder to make.

A good example is one of our winemakers, Cascina Gavetta from Novello. They’ve planted a new vineyard with vines that are barely a year old.

Every evening, they water the vines by hand.

Every single evening.

Not because they enjoy doing it, but because the young plants simply need to be protected from the extreme drought.

These are images that stay with you. A winemaker tending to the vines as night falls, when a vineyard should really just be getting enough rain to do its job.

“In the cantina, it’s actually hard to do anything wrong…”

Umberto Fracassi once told me:

“For our Nebbiolo destined for Barolo, we have to make sure everything goes flawlessly in the vineyard. In the cantina, it’s actually hard to do anything wrong.”

That statement has always stuck with me.

Because that’s exactly where the biggest challenge lies today.

No matter how carefully the winemaker works in the cellar, there’s little he can do against the whims of nature.

A ten-minute hailstorm can ruin a year’s work.

A few weeks of extreme heat can completely alter the development of the grapes.

A lack of rain can literally push young vines to their limit.

And yet people often think: an earlier harvest means better wine?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Harvesting earlier doesn’t automatically mean better wine

High temperatures accelerate the ripening of the grapes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean everything turns out better.

The heat can cause sugar levels to rise rapidly, while acidity levels drop. At the same time, the vine itself is put under enormous stress.

A grape may therefore appear “ripe” based on sugar content, while other elements essential for a balanced and complex wine may not yet be at the same level.

An early harvest is therefore by no means a guarantee of quality.

Much will depend on what the coming weeks bring and on the decisions each winemaker will make individually.

And that’s exactly where you see once again just how different the approaches can be.

Each winery is finding its own way to deal with these exceptional circumstances.

At Montalbera, for example, the Ruchè is harvested at night, by moonlight.

A beautiful sight.

But behind that romantic scene lies a very practical reason: they’re trying to bring the grapes in as cool as possible and limit the effects of the heat.

Vacation? It might feel a little different this year

Traditionally, many Piedmontese winemakers take their vacation around this time, roughly between August 10 and 23.

A brief break from the vineyard.

A little rest.

Some time for family.

But I wonder how many winemakers are truly heading off on vacation carefree this year.

Because while we might be enjoying a glass of Barolo or Barbaresco on a terrace, the winemaker is looking up at the sky.

Is it going to rain?

How much?

Will there be hail?

When should we harvest?

Are the grapes ready?

How are the acid levels developing?

And most importantly: what will the weather be like tomorrow?

A winemaker can make many plans today.

But in the end, he remains dependent on something no one can control.

Mother Nature.

And in 2026, she’s showing a particularly capricious side in Piedmont.

To be continued