#330: From one ARRA season to another

This week we will «wrap up» the end of the season in the northern hemisphere with final news from the ARRA vineyards in Italy. That being said, it is with great joy to be able to report on the start of the season in the southern hemisphere, specifically in Peru, where the ARRA harvest is just a few days away.

Italy - ARRA Sweeties™ (ARRA 15)

As can be seen in the photographs, Azienda Agricola Terrana Vito in Campobella di Licata, Sicily, has produced a beautiful crop of ARRA 15, this season; crunchy sweet and with a Brix of 20+. We are proud of the ARRA Sweeties produced in Italy, this season, that could be found on the shelves of major Italian supermarket chains among the premium line.

Carlo Lingua, CEO of AVI and ARRA Agent in Europe, informed us that ARRA Sweeties from Italy were exported to the Gulf area and were received very well by the market. We would like to share with our readers the feedback we received from a consumer directly from Saudi Arabia: Mr. Saeed e-mailed us: «I bought ARRA Sweeties grapes in a local market here in Saudi Arabia. They were amazing. They are the best grapes I have ever tasted».

By following the guidance of AVI and the Grapa technical team, the ARRA 15 growers in Southern Italy have achieved outstanding results. The berries’ shape and appearance show a beautiful true to type ARRA 15 along with a Brix of over 20 and with a perfect balance of sugar and acid. With these parameters, ARRA 15 reaches an exceptional eating quality.

Italy - ARRA Mystic Dream™ (ARRA 32)

Halfway through October, ARRA 32 harvest began in Piemonte, Italy. This variety perfectly adapted to the climate and soil of this northern Italian region. ARRA 32 seems to be successful in Piemonte thanks to the productivity and the organoleptic quality.
Also in the south region of Puglia, the ARRA 32 producers are also very satisfied with this season’s performances. The harvest started during the second week of September and reached its peak at the beginning of October.

Mainly loved for its berry size, full color and good eating quality, ARRA Mystic Dream, is a late, extremely fertile black variety. With large oval berries, excellent sweetness, and juiciness along with a gentle crispy-crunchy texture, its adaptability to varying climatic conditions has been clearly demonstrated in Italy.

Carlo Lingua, AVI CEO, reports: “So far this season’s harvest of ARRA 32 looks really promising. We have really high-quality grapes and our customers are happy. Most of this year’s production of ARRA Mystic Dream will be on the supermarket shelves and sold as a premium line».

As explained by AVI agronomists, Maurizio Simone and Marco Tempesta, ARRA 32 is a variety that has a longer growing cycle, as the bunch will continue to grow even once the berries have reached their full black color. Although the color emerges uniformly and fully black, the Brix can still be as low as 12/13. Therefore, it is still too early to start harvesting considering that the optimal Brix level of ARRA 32 is reached at 18/19.

Peru - ARRA Sweeties™ (ARRA 15)

Danper Agro Olmos SAC is located in the Lambayeque region. Situated in the north of Peru, this region has an arid, semitropical climate that allows for a diversity of crops. ARRA 15 is currently 121 days after Dormex application and two weeks away from the start of harvest. The team at Danper’s Olmos SAC farm followed the directions stated in the growing guidelines and so far it looks like this season will have good results.

Danper La Venturosa SAC is the second farm that will open the ARRA 2021 /2022 season with ARRA 15 in Peru. Approximately 30 days away from harvest the bunch and berry uniformity looks good so far, as can be seen in the pictures below.