Early harvesting confirms an encouraging outlook: vineyards in excellent vegetative and productive condition, high grape quality, and favorable prospects for the new vintage
September 10, 20206 (Rauscedo, Italy) — The 2026 harvest at Cantina Rauscedo began roughly two weeks ago, confirming the early start anticipated given how the season has progressed. Operations are proceeding with great care and precise planning, vineyard by vineyard, to identify the ideal picking moment and preserve the best balance between ripeness, aromatic richness, and acidity in the grapes.
“The weather conditions have allowed us to reach harvest with grapes that are overall healthy, and the quality indicators at this stage look very encouraging,” comments Flavio Geretto, General Manager of Cantina Rauscedo. “We are still in the middle of the harvest, and we’ll need to wait until operations are complete to draw a definitive assessment, but the early signs confirm the value of the work carried out together with our member growers in the vineyard. The ability to identify the right harvest moment for each parcel is today one of the most important factors in bringing out the full potential of the territory and the various varieties grown. It’s meticulous agronomic work that guarantees outstanding quality, the result of a community of grower-members who share the same vision.”
From a quantitative standpoint, too, the overall picture appears balanced, albeit with variations linked to variety, area, and individual vineyards, influenced by temperature trends and water availability recorded during the season. Constant monitoring, supported by the network of weather stations and the agronomic control tools developed by the winery, has helped guide technical decisions and target the harvest schedule precisely.
The 2026 harvest also carries particular strategic significance. For the first time, Cantina Rauscedo has launched specific quality-selection projects on five key varieties within its production heritage: Sauvignon, Ribolla Gialla, Refosco dal peduncolo rosso, Friulano, Traminer Aromatico, and Chardonnay. The grapes destined for these projects are identified directly in the vineyard through defined selection criteria, with the goal of achieving production with precise qualitative and stylistic profiles.
This represents a natural evolution of the path taken by the cooperative, which today counts on more than 2,000 hectares of vineyards managed by its members, a fully controlled supply chain, and significant zoning work that has led to the identification of eight subzones, each with specific soil and climate characteristics. This body of knowledge allows the territory to be read with ever-greater precision and production to be directed toward higher quality levels.
The goal is to pair the winery’s well-established production capacity with a growing focus on enhancing grape value through higher-value-added projects based on selection, characterization, and differentiation. This approach also makes it possible to develop tailor-made initiatives together with clients, building wines with clearly defined enological and commercial identities starting from the vineyard itself.
This vision fits within the cooperative’s growth path, as it marks its 75th anniversary in 2026. A milestone that confirms the strength of a model capable of combining cooperative tradition, innovation, agronomic research, and the enhancement of the Friuli territory. For Cantina Rauscedo, the ability to bring together production scale, scientific knowledge, and customization stands as one of the distinctive elements on which to build its future growth and strengthen its role as an ambassador of Friulian wine in national and international markets.
About Cantina Rauscedo
Founded in 1951, Cantina Rauscedo is one of the most established cooperative wineries in Friuli‑Venezia Giulia. It brings together more than 300 wine‑growing families and cultivates around 2,000 hectares across the alluvial plain of the Friulian Grave, between the Tagliamento, Meduna and Cellina rivers. Supported by a structured organisational model and direct control over the entire supply chain, the winery combines strong local roots, technical expertise and governance geared towards sustainable growth. Specialising in Friulian white wines and Prosecco, it operates in both domestic and international markets with a focus on quality, production continuity and long‑term sustainable development.
