2012

The Siberian winter cold and drastic temperature changes

2012 was another year of climatic anomalies, a common feature of Langa wine vintages by now. December 2011 and January 2012 saw neither rain nor snow (the last rain fell in early November, with floods hitting the Liguria region), soil as dry as in July, very mild temperatures, and big night/day temperature swings. The cold weather returned at the end of January, with heavy snowfalls lasting until early February and, then, the arrival of the Siberian cold front. The weather conditions of 2012 are very similar to those experienced in 1985, since it seems that the Siberian cold sequence returns every 27-29 years (1929-1956-1985-2012). However, things changed radically and rapidly from the last ten days of the month on: the last week of February saw a reversal of the trend, with the highest February temperatures ever registered in certain areas. Yet, despite the abnormal heat in the final days of the month, February 2012 has gone down in history as the coldest February since 1965. Spring began with a completely dry and cool March, with bud-break taking place one week earlier compared to 2011, while April and May were quite rainy and cool. In May, it began raining again while temperatures rose steadily to high values. The combination of heavy rainfall and high temperatures accelerated the growth cycle and the phenological stages. The rainy weather gave way to a cool and dry June with humidity and temperature levels rising again in the second half of the month, as further proof of the year’s temperature “roller coaster”. By the end of June, summer was in full swing, with little rainfall and with medium-high July temperatures reaching their peak in mid-August. Nevertheless, no water stress significantly affected the plants, as the water supply proved to be sufficient thanks to the abundant winter and spring showers. A very hot period was followed by rainy weather from August 31st to September 5th which, given the early ripening, could have negatively influenced the plants’ health. In fact, harvesting began immediately for the early-ripening varieties and continued into mid-October. The weather was nice throughout September, with the usual sudden changes in temperature. The harvesting of the Dolcetto and Barbera varieties was followed, in early October, by the picking of Nebbiolo grapes in a context of significant daily temperature swings which contributed to a good phenolic ripening and alcohol levels slightly below those of the previous vintages.