The statistics are in….

Before the 2011 harvest kicked off, the experts of Rias Baixas had calculated that the total harvest for the denomination would be around 37 million kilos….. they were wrong! It transpired that 2011 would be memorable for two different reasons – not only was it one of the earliest harvest that we have ever witnessed, but it also exceeded all expectations in terms of volume too. The final count for the Rias Baixas denomination was some 41,787,783 kilos.

The previous record, set only last year (approximately 31.5 million kilos), was shattered – surpassed by more than 30% – an incredible year-on-year increase.

By far the biggest contributor to this total was our own northern sub-zone of the Salnés Valley, with around 27 million kilos, which is why this area is always known as the ‘heart’ of the denomination.

Whilst there are two or three other permitted varietals in Rias Baixas, more than 40 million kilos of those harvested was Albariño. Loureira and Treixadura accounted for around 700,000 kilos, and red grapes, less than 1%.