When a wine appellation only permits the use of one grape, safeguarding the future of that variety becomes of paramount importance. It's why Gavi DOCG installed a series of high-tech weather stations throughout the region to monitor how climate change is impacting Cortese. db discovers the learnings so far.

In the past few years, producing Gavi, that crisp, dry Italian white wine beloved by so many, has started to come with some extra hurdles. Issues such as water deficiency or water excess, and high temperatures inducing plant stress have become much more of a challenge in the DOCG.

Speaking to the drinks business, Davide Ferrarese, agronomist for the Gavi Consorzio says: "What we've seen in recent years is greater difficulty in managing the vineyard, in choosing the right time to harvest, and in understanding the progression of the season which affects the various phenological phases of the plants."

Rather than sit around and wait for the climate to dictate the agricultural and economic future of the region, the DOCG decided to play Mother Nature at her own game. In April 2023, the consorzio launched a 'meteorological analysis project' in the shape of five new weather stations spread across the appellation. The sole purpose of these facilities was to determine exactly how the local climate is impacting the white Cortese grape, which is the only variety permitted for use in the production of Gavi wines.

Ferrarese explains that the weather stations "are equipped with sensors to detect temperature, humidity, dew point, heat index, chill index, pressure, wind speed (both gust and average speed), precipitation intensity, daily, weekly, and annual rainfall, and leaf wetness."

The overall goal is to collect data for the upcoming seasons in order to help Gavi producers to "interpret the vintage and predict the plants' response" to various weather patterns", he adds.

To achieve this, in each of the five vineyards where the weather stations were installed, 15 Cortese vines were identified, divided into three groups on a single row, and monitored at five key moments during the growing season: budding, flowering, veraison, harvest and leaf fall. A digital platform called Agricolus then stored and shared the data collected so that it could be analysed.

The weather stations span the main four points of the compass (north, south, east and west), as well as the central zone, within the Gavi DOCG, and are located in the following wine estates:

"We feel interested and positive about the data we are gathering so far," Ferrarese tells db.

One of the most surprising findings across the three vintages in which the weather stations have been up and running has been the discrepancy in summer night-time temperatures across the region. "In certain areas the nights cool down significantly more than in others," says Ferrarese. "This diurnal temperature range is a key factor for aromatic development and for preserving acidity levels in the wines."

The discovery, he says, could help guide decisions on where to plant new vineyards "should the opportunity arise."

Such weather data is also expected to help producers maintain, and even improve, the quality standards required for Gavi DOCG wines, though according to Ferrarese it is not possible to estimate "when or to what extent" consumers will be able to perceive these quality improvements in the final wines. However, based on the climate analysis carried out so far "the style of Gavi wines is not expected to change".

"Historically, Gavi wine has never been strongly aromatic, but is instead characterised by very delicate aromas and flavours, linked to white fruits and flowers," Ferrarese says. The DOCG wants to keep these hallmarks but gain a greater understanding of how "current climatic conditions are influencing the qualitative parameters of the grapes."

Ferrarese reveals that so far it has been difficult to identify firm trends, beyond the diurnal differences.

"The past few seasons have shown very different climatic patterns, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions," he says. "The data analysis shows that 2023 was marked by limited water supply, then 2024 recorded three times the rainfall of the previous year, and 2025 appears to be more balanced so far." He hopes that the data collected in the second year of work "will provide a better understanding of the microclimates in the Gavi DOCG production area."

But he confirms that producers' approach "to soil management and plant canopy management has certainly changed" as a result of the findings.

In order for this to happen, the learnings from the weather stations must be effectively communicated back to winegrowers. How is this done? "The observations, which include how seasonal climatic conditions influence the timing of vine development, are compiled into a technical bulletin, which the Consorzio shares with its members on a monthly basis during the growing season," explains Ferrarese. The agrometeorological data collected in the Gavi DOCG is also "accessible to everyone directly via the Dati Meteo Asti website or app".

Beyond this, the Gavi DOCG is also sharing the collected date with the University of Turin with a view to further deepening its research through the partnership.

Ferrarese concludes that the project "enables stakeholders to act proactively in the face of climate change" and is helping Gavi producers to "better understand the specific characteristics of each local area".