In hot years, “more sun on the fruit” can be the wrong instinct.
Cantina Terlano and Cantina Andriano, on opposite banks of the Adige, told WineNews the season started early: budbreak between March and April, flowering by mid-May. Timely rain built canopy and water reserve through heat waves. Enologist Rudy Kofler says they cut leaf removal to a minimum so clusters stayed shaded, healthy and even — protecting aromatic freshness instead of chasing deeper color or faster sugar. Harvest is expected around August 20 with positive expectations from a uniform crop load and clean fruit.
Mini-lesson: canopy is sunscreen. Leaves that once were pulled for ripeness can now be left to shield skins and keep aromas from baking. That is a people decision you taste as cool herbs and citrus instead of stewed fruit.
For drinkers of Alto Adige whites and light reds, shade management is why mountain bottles can still feel cool after a brutal summer. Choosing them is choosing growers who left the leaves on when the old textbook said strip them.
Pattern: less leaf pull, more shade, about 20 August start. Hands in the canopy beat hope in the forecast.