[:en]Today should have been harvest Day 2, but instead it is ‘Day Suspended’. After long periods of pretty much drought conditions during this summer, we had some persistent overnight rain. (Even Alanis Morissette would probably find that quite ironic!) By 7am the rain had stopped, but the overhead canopies were still quite wet, and not conducive to collecting perfect fruit. Whilst waiting for them to dry out and with a slightly unpredictable forecast for the next 48 hours we decided to hold back. On the other hand, we were anxious to see how this added water had effected the fruit, and closer inspection revealed that it had actually had made almost no impression at all – berries were still intact and looking just as healthy as they did beforehand. The weather had also turned decidedly cooler, meaning that the air humidity remained quite low, thereby reducing the risk of rot or disease.

On the positive side (as I mentioned the other day), the fruit is now clean with all dust washed away, it remains in a healthy state, and doesn’t appear to have absorbed any water. The ground was probably so dry that the water either just ran off, or was absorbed completely by the surface soil without really getting down as far as the roots. The other good news is that after a couple of unsettled days (cloud but almost no rain), the sun will return, and we should have ideal conditions to continue.

I called today ‘XXX’ day for a couple of reasons. One, because from a harvest point of view the day doesn’t have a number, and secondly to see if our site would attract some new hits from different audiences…. Of course, I mean from the Vin Diesel fans!

By the way, my photo shows the first free run juice of 2016 from the first presses – unctuous and delicious (and that will be completely clean after a day or two of ‘cold settling’)[:es]

Today should have been harvest Day 2, but instead it is ‘Day Suspended’. After long periods of pretty much drought conditions during this summer, we had some persistent overnight rain. (Even Alanis Morissette would probably find that quite ironic!) By 7am the rain had stopped, but the overhead canopies were still quite wet, and not conducive to collecting perfect fruit. Whilst waiting for them to dry out and with a slightly unpredictable forecast for the next 48 hours we decided to hold back. On the other hand, we were anxious to see how this added water had effected the fruit, and closer inspection revealed that it had actually had made almost no impression at all – berries were still intact and looking just as healthy as they did beforehand. The weather had also turned decidedly cooler, meaning that the air humidity remained quite low, thereby reducing the risk of rot or disease.

On the positive side (as I mentioned the other day), the fruit is now clean with all dust washed away, it remains in a healthy state, and doesn’t appear to have absorbed any water. The ground was probably so dry that the water either just ran off, or was absorbed completely by the surface soil without really getting down as far as the roots. The other good news is that after a couple of unsettled days (cloud but almost no rain), the sun will return, and we should have ideal conditions to continue.

I called today ‘XXX’ day for a couple of reasons. One, because from a harvest point of view the day doesn’t have a number, and secondly to see if our site would attract some new hits from different audiences…. Of course, I mean from the Vin Diesel fans!

By the way, my photo shows the first free run juice of 2016 from the first presses – unctuous and delicious (and that will be completely clean after a day or two of ‘cold settling’)[:]

As I mentioned yesterday, after a long, dry, hot sunny period, our more familiar harvest weather arrived in the region. Cooler, grey and overcast – no rain to date, but with showers forecast for the next two days. A few light showers would not be a problem, but the conditions that we really don’t need are prolonged periods of heavy rain.

This year we organised have more people to harvest and more vehicles to collect grapes, and so consequently, by mid-morning, we were already loading the first presses. This continuous flow simply never stopped, with grapes entering at a furious rate, but more importantly, of high quality fruit. Healthy grapes with a good degree (potential alcohol) and just the correct balance of acidity. The juice was thick and concentrated as we had anticipated, but as far as yields are concerned we have yet to make a definitive calculation – having said that it will as though it could be reduced owing to the lack of rainfall over the summer.

OK, so the secret of Big Blue, as you can see from today’s photo is quite simple. Instead of using hundreds of small containers to collect the bagazo  (grape skins and stalks – or ‘marc’ as it is known in France), we are using much bigger containers in conjunction with a special tipping forklift. Our bagazo, as you will know, is collected for our local distillery to be made into aguardiente (eau-de-vie or grappa).

At the end of the day, we had picked some serious volumes, the only downside being that as we closed our doors for the night, so the heavens opened. Heavy rain had arrived, including a bit of thunder and lightning – Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

It’s funny really, how, after months of knowing about it, the harvest can very suddenly sneak up on you! Until a week or so ago we were all quite relaxed, and planning a start date of around 19th September – unfortunately our fruit did not receive the memo, and the final maturity arrived much more quickly than we had calculated. I guess that with all the hot sunshine that we have been experiencing over the last few weeks we really shouldn’t be so surprised, but suffice to say, it did rather accelerate things.

The truth is that today, 12th September (which will now be our first day of picking), I should have been climbing onto a New York bound jet, for a big tasting and a press lunch. Clearly, in the circumstances, that idea had to be scrapped at the last minute, and Angela’s New York shopping list (that she never forgets to pack for me) confined to the trash.

And so, after all the month’s of hot dry weather, it has all changed for the start of the harvest. Today is grey and overcast, and the early morning temperature is only around 16°C (61°F) – however, it should brighten up a bit before the showers arrive tomorrow. Believe it or not, a little light rain should not hurt – not to swell the fruit, which would be bad, but actually to wash it. After such long dry periods, grapes are extremely dusty, and consequently produce a darker must – this is removed by cold settling, but even so, cleaner fruit is not such a bad thing.

Today’s photo (taken on Friday, when it was sunny) shows the arrival of Big Blue – a huge blue container now camping out in our car park. I will explain in my Day 1 Harvest post why we need him. As this comment implies, I will, as always, be making a daily post of our progress, so watch this space!

The weather in Galicia still remains stubbornly hot and dry. A few weeks ago we were praying for a day or two of rain (to add just a little more flesh and juice to the grapes), but now, as we move much closer to the harvest this view has changed, and we would simply prefer that the dry weather continues. Rain too close to the harvest will only cause the thick skins of this year’s fruit to split, that would inevitably lead to rot.

In recent days the thermometer has still been touching as high as 32°C (90°F) albeit that it has since cooled just a little to a slightly more manageable 25°C (77°F). At this stage of the growing cycle these high temperatures only serve to accelerate the final maturity of the fruit, as the acidity in the berries starts to drop at a very rapid rate. Obviously, in the case of our own albariño, we really need to retain the correct level of natural acidity, and so it is really the moment to watch the analysis of grape samples very closely, and start our picking at the very second we reach the optimum balance.

[:en]As the calendar moves into September we are already deep into our planning for the 2016 harvest. The tanks are empty and waiting to receive this year’s new grape must, and so for the final run-up to the picking our attention is now well and truly focused on the vineyards. The summer of 2016 has been long and hot – for more than two months the sun has been shining almost non-stop, and temperatures have regularly hovered around the 30°C (86°F) mark. Ideal conditions you might think – but this is not entirely true. A few good days of rain during the summer certainly would have helped. The problem is that whilst this level of sunshine and dry weather promotes healthy grapes, it also means that the berries are small, skins are thick, but more significantly, the layer of flesh that yields the juice, is thin – a thick and viscose texture perhaps, but with a low liquid content. Of course this usually translates into ripe and fruity wines, but potentially with higher alcohol, lower acidity, and obviously, lower yields. Good in some respects, but not ideal in others.

To be honest, being a fruit farmer (which is essentially what we are), can sometimes be very frustrating. Last year for example, we were forced to pick just a little earlier that we would have liked, as a big storm loomed on the horizon. With hindsight it was a good decision, but we know that we were just so close to having a near perfect vintage. This year it could be (we won’t really know until we have the must safely in our tanks), that we are again left just a little frustrated, but this time for almost the opposite reason – the lack of a bit more rain. However, if yields are down, we also know that small can still be beautiful![:es]As the calendar moves into September we are already deep into our planning for the 2016 harvest. The tanks are empty and waiting to receive this year’s new grape must, and so for the final run-up to the picking our attention is now well and truly focused on the vineyards. The summer of 2016 has been long and hot – for more than two months the sun has been shining almost non-stop, and temperatures have regularly hovered around the 30°C (86°F) mark. Ideal conditions you might think – but this is not entirely true. A few good days of rain during the summer certainly would have helped. The problem is that whilst this level of sunshine and dry weather promotes healthy grapes, it also means that the berries are small, skins are thick, but more significantly, the layer of flesh that yields the juice, is thin – a thick and viscose texture perhaps, but with a low liquid content. Of course this usually translates into ripe and fruity wines, but potentially with higher alcohol, lower acidity, and obviously, lower yields. Good in some respects, but not ideal in others.

To be honest, being a fruit farmer (which is essentially what we are), can sometimes be very frustrating. Last year for example, we were forced to pick just a little earlier that we would have liked, as a big storm loomed on the horizon. With hindsight it was a good decision, but we know that we were just so close to having a near perfect vintage. This year it could be (we won’t really know until we have the must safely in our tanks), that we are again left just a little frustrated, but this time for almost the opposite reason – the lack of a more rain. However, if yields are down, we also know that small can still be beautiful![:]

Friday 18th September – First thing this morning it felt like autumn had arrived. A beautiful clear blue sky, mist hanging over the valley (as in yesterday’s photo), and only 10°C or 50°F. Good conditions for mopping up our last few thousand kilos.

When the first grapes entered at the end of the morning, it quickly became apparent that the quality was not the same as those we had already collected. In our first pressing the grape must was much thinner and just not as rich as the first four days (just as well that we had gathered nearly all of our fruit in the four days prior to the rain). Of course we do compensate for this slight dilution in the cellar, by using a much, much shorter and more gentle pressing cycle – not quite ‘first run’ juice, but pretty close to this. Also, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, there is no way that this juice will be blended with the rest of our crop.

The really incredible fact is that the vast majority of other bodegas decided to wait, and had not gathered one single grape before the storm. I believe that our Consello revealed that only 10% of the denominations wine had been gathered in, and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why. Whilst it is true that our alcohol might be a bit lower this year (probably just under 12%), at least our own wine should have a good concentration and balance – in my book far better than a thin, acidic albariño.

By early evening the final grapes were in, and very soon loaded into the presses. The curtain had finally fallen on yet another vintage – a healthy volume taken in record time. I have to say that at Castro Martin we are extremely happy with the fruits of our labour this year (every pun intended), but buyer beware, it will certainly be a vintage of two halves – those who picked before the rain, and those who picked after.Friday 18th September – First thing this morning it felt like autumn had arrived. A beautiful clear blue sky, mist hanging over the valley (as in yesterday’s photo), and only 10°C or 50°F. Good conditions for mopping up our last few thousand kilos.

When the first grapes entered at the end of the morning, it quickly became apparent that the quality was not the same as those we had already collected. In our first pressing the grape must was much thinner and just not as rich as the first four days (just as well that we had gathered nearly all of our fruit in the four days prior to the rain). Of course we do compensate for this slight dilution in the cellar, by using a much, much shorter and more gentle pressing cycle – not quite ‘first run’ juice, but pretty close to this. Also, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, there is no way that this juice will be blended with the rest of our crop.

The really incredible fact is that the vast majority of other bodegas decided to wait, and had not gathered one single grape before the storm. I believe that our Consello revealed that only 10% of the denominations wine had been gathered in, and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why. Whilst it is true that our alcohol might be a bit lower this year (probably just under 12%), at least our own wine should have a good concentration and balance – in my book far better than a thin, acidic albariño.

By early evening the final grapes were in, and very soon loaded into the presses. The curtain had finally fallen on yet another vintage – a healthy volume taken in record time. I have to say that at Castro Martin we are extremely happy with the fruits of our labour this year (every pun intended), but buyer beware, it will certainly be a vintage of two halves – those who picked before the rain, and those who picked after.

Thursday 17th September – Despite a cool, bright, sunny morning (only 12°C or 54°F), we decided to sit it out for another 24 hours. Our grapes were very healthy before the recent rain, and so we will make one final push tomorrow, thus avoiding the danger of rot having the time to take hold. The forecast for Friday is good, and so we have our fingers crossed that on this occasion the prediction might be accurate! Of course we will almost certainly have to handle the last few thousand kilos of grapes differently to the fruit picked before the rain, as there is no doubt that the must will be slightly dilute. Indeed, these few grapes will be separated completely from the rest of the harvest, and we will wait to see how they turn out once they have been converted into finished wine.

Meanwhile, inside the wine cellar, we have now started the first of our fermentations, seeding the first tanks during the morning. Clearly, with all the breaks we have had so far this year, there is no doubt that the period of seeding and fermentation is going to be more protracted than usual, the only compensation being that we started to pick a little earlier than in many previous vintages.

Today’s picture shows the Salnes Valley at about 9am this morning, with the mist still hanging in the air above the vineyards.Thursday 17th September – Despite a cool, bright, sunny morning (only 12°C or 54°F), we decided to sit it out for another 24 hours. Our grapes were very healthy before the recent rain, and so we will make one final push tomorrow, thus avoiding the danger of rot having the time to take hold. The forecast for Friday is good, and so we have our fingers crossed that on this occasion the prediction might be accurate! Of course we will almost certainly have to handle the last few thousand kilos of grapes differently to the fruit picked before the rain, as there is no doubt that the must will be slightly dilute. Indeed, these few grapes will be separated completely from the rest of the harvest, and we will wait to see how they turn out once they have been converted into finished wine.

Meanwhile, inside the wine cellar, we have now started the first of our fermentations, seeding the first tanks during the morning. Clearly, with all the breaks we have had so far this year, there is no doubt that the period of seeding and fermentation is going to be more protracted than usual, the only compensation being that we started to pick a little earlier than in many previous vintages.

Today’s picture shows the Salnes Valley at about 9am this morning, with the mist still hanging in the air above the vineyards.

Wednesday 16th September – As we opened our shutters on Wednesday morning we were still in the grip of Henri, torrential rain driven by the wind. However, as the morning progressed the rain stopped and the skies started to clear – the storm was at an end a little sooner than predicted. Originally we had expected the rain to continue for two full days, but as you know, our forecasts are often wrong! Our weather, including storm forecasting, remains unpredictable. The rest of the day was not entirely dry with showers in the late afternoon and early evening.

Meanwhile in the bodega we were busy racking more tanks after settling, and preparing one or two tanks ready to launch the fermentations. Even without grapes coming in there is always plenty to do at this time of year, and we will be working seven days a week, probably for the next month until the very last fermentation is complete.Wednesday 16th September – As we opened our shutters on Wednesday morning we were still in the grip of Henri, torrential rain driven by the wind. However, as the morning progressed the rain stopped and the skies started to clear – the storm was at an end a little sooner than predicted. Originally we had expected the rain to continue for two full days, but as you know, our forecasts are often wrong! Our weather, including storm forecasting, remains unpredictable. The rest of the day was not entirely dry with showers in the late afternoon and early evening.

Meanwhile in the bodega we were busy racking more tanks after settling, and preparing one or two tanks ready to launch the fermentations. Even without grapes coming in there is always plenty to do at this time of year, and we will be working seven days a week, probably for the next month until the very last fermentation is complete.

Tuesday 15th September – For almost a week now we have been worrying about the imminent arrival of Hurricane Henri, or rather his tail end. Amber weather alerts have been issued, and, as it transpires, they have been justified. High winds and rain have been lashing Galicia, and consequently our 2015 harvest is suspended. The excellent news is that over 90% of our grapes are already safely gathered!

The day however, was not without one significant drama. Our tank refrigeration system suddenly kicked out, and would not re-start. A quick call to our electricians revealed that it was actually one of the three external ventilators that had stopped working (possibly owing to rain from the storm entering the circuit). The good news is that the cold machine can comfortably work with two ventilators, and so we have simply by-passed one until the weather subsides and it can be repaired. Panic over.Tuesday 15th September – For almost a week now we have been worrying about the imminent arrival of Hurricane Henri, or rather his tail end. Amber weather alerts have been issued, and, as it transpires, they have been justified. High winds and rain have been lashing Galicia, and consequently our 2015 harvest is suspended. The excellent news is that over 90% of our grapes are already safely gathered!

The day however, was not without one significant drama. Our tank refrigeration system suddenly kicked out, and would not re-start. A quick call to our electricians revealed that it was actually one of the three external ventilators that had stopped working (possibly owing to rain from the storm entering the circuit). The good news is that the cold machine can comfortably work with two ventilators, and so we have simply by-passed one until the weather subsides and it can be repaired. Panic over.

Monday 14th September – The day started more or less exactly as it did yesterday with one slight difference, it had been raining during the night, but by the time we arrived at the bodega it had stopped. Within an hour or two, the vineyards had dried out, and by about 11am we were actually bathed in warm sunshine. It was time to pick as quickly as possible, not only to collect fruit whilst it was still completely healthy, but also because of the looming storm forecast for Tuesday – the tail end of Hurricane Henri approaching from the Atlantic.

On our part, every man and his dog was sent to the ‘Pazo’ vineyard in an attempt to gather all the best fruit whilst it remained dry. By late afternoon the grape reception was filling up, and there was an visible sense of relief on the faces of many a grape suppliers as they recognised that had safely gathered their crop before the inclement weather arrived. It turned out to be yet another day of high volumes passing through our presses, not quite a record day, but certainly much higher than the average of recent years. Our bodega and picking teams were working like heros!

Unfortunately, one of the unplanned consequences of this high volume was that our distillery simply could not keep up with the pace. When our presses are emptied the pomace or ‘bagazo’ as it is called here (grape seeds, skins and stems), are sent down a shoot to the floor below, and collected in large containers ready to be sent to the distillery. During the harvest they run a shuttle of lorries, on a daily basis, collecting the full, and delivering empties ready to be refilled. With the higher than normal daily volumes that we were generating, they eventually fell behind, and consequently we eventually ran out of containers. There was no option, but to create a ‘bagazo’ mountain on the floor, inside the bodega (see today’s photo).

The amazing fact was, that by the end of this fourth day, our 2015 harvest was almost complete! Now we can only wait, and see what transpires over the coming days, but if the forecasts are correct, then we will almost certainly not be picking for the next two or three days.Monday 14th September – The day started more or less exactly as it did yesterday with one slight difference, it had been raining during the night, but by the time we arrived at the bodega it had stopped. Within an hour or two, the vineyards had dried out, and by about 11am we were actually bathed in warm sunshine. It was time to pick as quickly as possible, not only to collect fruit whilst it was still completely healthy, but also because of the looming storm forecast for Tuesday – the tail end of Hurricane Henri approaching from the Atlantic.

On our part, every man and his dog was sent to the ‘Pazo’ vineyard in an attempt to gather all the best fruit whilst it remained dry. By late afternoon the grape reception was filling up, and there was an visible sense of relief on the faces of many a grape suppliers as they recognised that they had safely gathered their crop before the inclement weather arrived. It turned out to be yet another day of high volumes passing through our presses, not quite a record day, but certainly much higher than the average of recent years. Our bodega and picking teams were working like heros!

Unfortunately, one of the unplanned consequences of this high volume was that our distillery simply could not keep up with the pace. When our presses are emptied the pomace or ‘bagazo’ as it is called here (grape seeds, skins and stems), are sent down a shoot to the floor below, and collected in large containers ready to be sent to the distillery. During the harvest they run a shuttle of lorries, on a daily basis, collecting the full, and delivering empties ready to be refilled. With the higher than normal daily volumes that we were generating, they eventually fell behind, and consequently we eventually ran out of containers. There was no option, but to create a ‘bagazo’ mountain on the floor, inside the bodega (see today’s photo).

The amazing fact was, that by the end of this fourth day, our 2015 harvest was almost complete! Now we can only wait, and see what transpires over the coming days, but if the forecasts are correct, then we will almost certainly not be picking for the next two or three days.