Only a day or so ago our local denomination office announced that the official yield for the 2011 vintage will be increased from 12,000 kilos per hectare to 13,900 kilos – an increment of some 15.8%

I am happy to tell you that our own yields fall far below this, for one simple reason. I was always taught that the lower the yield, the better the concentration, and therefore the better the finished wine. Indeed, as I travelled the world as a buyer I clearly remember many growers proudly telling me how low there yields were, thus implying that thay made a superior quality wine. In many instances this was due to the age of their vines. As the vine plant passes its peak production, so the yield gets progressively smaller with each vintage. Conversely, the concentration and quality of the grape juice increases and this is usually refected in the bottle.

If you stop and think about it for a second the same rule applies to the majority of fruit and veggies that we buy. Stretched, over-produced fruit will never have the same depth of flavour as that produced with more restrained yields.

Of course this latest announcement will not affect anything that we do in our own vineyards, and I can assure you that your glass of Castro Martin will never taste thin or watered down.

Only a day or so ago our local denomination office announced that the official yield for the 2011 vintage will be increased from 12,000 kilos per hectare to 13,900 kilos – an increment of some 15.8%

I am happy to tell you that our own yields fall far below this, for one simple reason. I was always taught that the lower the yield, the better the concentration, and therefore the better the finished wine. Indeed, as I travelled the world as a buyer I clearly remember many growers proudly telling me how low there yields were, thus implying that thay made a superior quality wine. In many instances this was due to the age of their vines. As the vine plant passes its peak production, so the yield gets progressively smaller with each vintage. Conversely, the concentration and quality of the grape juice increases and this is usually reflected in the bottle.

If you stop and think about it for a second the same rule applies to the majority of fruit and veggies that we buy. Stretched, over-produced fruit will never have the same depth of flavour as that produced with more restrained yields.

Of course this latest announcement will not affect anything that we do in our own vineyards, and I can assure you that your glass of Castro Martin will never taste thin or watered down.