Peak picking

October 13th, 2014 | Harvest

2014 Vendimia StatsUsually the grape harvest in our D.O. is spread over a period of about two or three weeks, sometimes more. Under normal circumstances the sub-zones in the south start well before their counterparts in the north, and may even finish before the north picks its first fruit. Despite there only being some 60 km between north and south, it can actually make quite a difference, especially as one moves inland away from the coast, and the cooling influence of the Ocean. This year however, it seems that things were quite different.

We have just received some stats from our local D.O. office showing that almost the entire 2014 harvest was collected in a little over one week. We often talk about waiting for a window in the weather, and this year it appears that almost everyone in our region took advantage of the very same window! After a period of torrential rain, at the very first opportunity, bodegas and their grape suppliers rushed out into the vineyards to gather in their precious crop. Of course, Castro Martin was no exception, mirroring the graph in today’s post and peaking at the very same moment as the rest of the region – Saturday 27th September, when over 3 million kilos were harvested (but not all by Castro Martin).

The total crop for 2014 of 24 million kilos is largely what was estimated before picking began, and although larger than 2012, it is still one of the smaller harvests of recent years. (Remembering that the area under vine has been growing steadily year-on-year since the very creation of the D.O., owing to the vagaries of our weather, growth in production does not always follow suit)

In the cellar our fermentations are all well under way, but it will be at least another week or two before the first stage of winemaking is concluded for this year.

2014 Vendimia StatsUsually the grape harvest in our D.O. is spread over a period of about two or three weeks, sometimes more. Under normal circumstances the sub-zones in the south start well before their counterparts in the north, and may even finish before the north picks its first fruit. Despite there only being some 60 km between north and south, it can actually make quite a difference, especially as one moves inland away from the coast, and the cooling influence of the Ocean. This year however, it seems that things were quite different.

We have just received some stats from our local D.O. office showing that almost the entire 2014 harvest was collected in a little over one week. We often talk about waiting for a window in the weather, and this year it appears that almost everyone in our region took advantage of the very same window! After a period of torrential rain, at the very first opportunity, bodegas and their grape suppliers rushed out into the vineyards to gather in their precious crop. Of course, Castro Martin was no exception, mirroring the graph in today’s post and peaking at the very same moment as the rest of the region – Saturday 27th September, when over 3 million kilos were harvested (but not all by Castro Martin).

The total crop for 2014 of 24 million kilos is largely what was estimated before picking began, and although larger than 2012, it is still one of the smaller harvests of recent years. (Remembering that the area under vine has been growing steadily year-on-year since the very creation of the D.O., owing to the vagaries of our weather, growth in production does not always follow suit)

In the cellar our fermentations are all well under way, but it will be at least another week or two before the first stage of winemaking is concluded for this year.

Monthly Archives

Categories

ARE YOU OF LEGAL AGE? This site is intended for those of legal drinking age. By entering, you confirm that you are of legal drinking age in the country where this site is being accessed. ¿ERES MAYOR DE EDAD? Este sitio está destinado a personas en edad legal para beber alcohol. Al ingresar, confirma que tiene la edad legal para beber en el país donde se accede a este sitio.