Last weekend we braced ourselves for a blast of super-hot weather, swept up from Africa. Whilst many parts of Europe were experiencing record temperatures for the month of June, Galicia escaped almost completely unscathed with temperatures only reaching the mid-20’s C. In some parts of the South of France however, the thermometer hit an incredible 45.9°C (114.6°F), not only posing a threat to human life, but also quite devastating for farmers, including the local grape/wine producers.

When tasting wine we sometimes refer to it having a ‘cooked’ or overripe flavour, which can often originate from exposure to excessive sunshine. It is irreversible – once the fruit is burnt, it’s burnt, and if these grapes are used in making a wine, they can and will produce a marked flavour (which is usually quite unpleasant). For example, cooked or burnt Syrah grapes will produce a smoky, black, rubbery taste.

So whilst grapes require heat and sunshine to reach the correct maturity, these periods of excessive temperature will only serve to damage the vineyards.

I am not sure which changes faster – the weather forecast, or the weather itself, but I do know that the forecasters for Galicia often have problems keeping up. The weather here can change in a heartbeat, the problem being that it is not always predicted.

At the beginning of last week our forecast was for clear skies and sunshine, but then, almost within hours, this prediction had changed to include the possibility of some rain. By the time it finally arrived it had transformed itself into a full-blown (named), storm, with driving rain and high winds. Storm ‘Miguel’, blew in during Thursday afternoon, a little earlier than predicted, with high winds and torrential downpours, but then blew out, almost as quickly as it had appeared. Within hours ‘Miguel’ had vanished, leaving behind our current period of unsettled weather, as it tracked off towards the UK. (Today’s image is a screenshot showing precipitation over Galicia at the peak of the storm).

Thankfully, our flowering period was already behind us, and so this Spanish storm has caused no lasting damage to our vineyards.

Galician weather is always difficult to predict at the best of times – for example, at this very moment we are experiencing some significant shifts of temperature, sometimes within the very same day. Our vines are certainly quite advanced for the time of year, and in some small pockets we are already seeing the onset of flowering. This could equate to a harvest at the very beginning of September if the weather behaves as it should. Vamos a ver (we will see).

However, the reason I am writing about alcohol is actually because of what happened during the summer of 2018. After poor spring and cool early summer the 2018 vintage was largely saved by a late burst of sun and warmth in August and early September. So much so that the final, very rapid maturation of the fruit actually took many by surprise, and at least some of the resulting albariño grapes were picked with between 13° and 14° potential alcohol!

Of course, here at Castro Martin we always to our very best to retain the typicity of our grape and our denomination, but even we struggled to pick all of our fruit before it ‘overcooked’!

Last week we racked a number of our 2018 tanks, removing them from the lees. The first step following this is to have every wine analysed, running tests for every parameter including stability. The results were all very good, with the key elements exactly at the correct levels in relation to one another, meaning that the wines are well balanced. The only slightly a-typical aspect was the alcohol, with a couple of wines just touching the 13% mark (not perhaps for the very first time, but certainly not within the last 17 years that I have been in Galicia).

We will need to adjust some of our 2018 labels accordingly.

After several weeks of dry sunny weather, and temperatures sometimes reaching as high as the mid-20’s C (68-75°F), since the beginning of April we have witnessed a big change. Nights are suddenly just a degree or two above freezing and daytime temperatures are barely reaching double figures (°C). Not only that, it is raining – but we can’t really complain – we really need it! Obviously this cold, wet weather makes it feel like winter again, and our big jackets that had maybe been packed away, are now very much the order of the day again.

OK, so today’s picture is only two screengrabs from my phone, one from two weeks ago, and the other from today – but simply by looking at the weather icons you can really see the difference (even if a daytime temperature is not displayed).

Before you read my text, take a look at the picture and see if you can spot the glaring mistake (from the Guia Peñin).

Did you see it? Well, apparently Mexico City is now in Russia, or perhaps Moscow is in Mexico, there certainly seems to be some conflict in the message (but hopefully no conflict on the ground). The only things I can say is that it’s a good job that Peñin make wine guides and not atlases!!

Meanwhile, back in Spain, we have had a short week. Tuesday was Father’s Day (or San José), and so in at least some parts of the country it was a festivo (bank holiday). Of course, many businesses, including ourselves, added a ‘bridge’ day and enjoyed a long weekend.

I can safely use the word ‘enjoyed’ because the weather is extremely sunny, and will be for at least the whole of the coming week. Our vines are already well advanced for the time of year and the sunshine will only help to accelerate this even more. The only (slightly) good news is that the air temperature is deceptively cool, especially at night. The airflow that we have is from the north, meaning that night time temperatures are falling as low as 6°C (42°F) and during the day barely reaching 20°C (68°F). Certainly, if it wasn’t for the cooler airflow we would probably be well into the mid-20’s. If this continues we could be in for an early harvest in 2019.

There is a certain irony to this weeks weather.

For the last couple of weeks we have been experiencing unseasonably warm, sunny weather with daytime temperatures of around 20°C (68°F). Far too high for the month of February, and not that great for our vines either.

This week we have moved into Carnival season that extends (officially) from 28th February until 5th March (albeit that today is still a Carnival holiday in Pontevedra). It varies from town to town and from village to village, and as you may gather from this comment, many towns and villages hold their own distinct Carnival processions on different days.

The problem is that, from the very day that the calendar changed from February to March, so the weather changed too. Stormy, torrential rain and high winds swept in from the Atlantic, putting a bit of a damper on the normal Carnival spirit… Oh, to be in Brazil!!

After two or three weeks of sun, we finally had a weekend of rain, and now that we are back at work again, guess what? Yes, the sun has returned again! Ironic, or just plain annoying I ask myself? At this time of year we also experience quite a lot of mist and fog hanging around in the early morning, certainly until the sun has had chance to burn it off. When the Salnes Valley is shrouded like this, it can look quite dramatic as the sun starts to rise over the surrounding hilltops. Of course, the other ‘mist’ that often hangs around during the day at this time of year is not actually mist at all, but rather the smoke generated by grape producers burning their vine cuttings after pruning. (It’s a bit of a waste really, as vine cuttings are really excellent for adding that extra touch of smoked flavour to barbecued food).

Despite this wonderful weather, we are actually busy inside this week as we prepare one or two large orders. I don’t really want to dwell on this, but one is actually destined for the UK, as importers actively start to stock up a little prior to Brexit. Of course, no one knows what will happen as yet, but it will almost certainly change our documentation (for example, it will no longer be Intra-Community), and leaving the EU could also cause additional delays to our shipments as vehicles will take much longer to cross borders into the UK. Who knows? Our Prime Minister certainly doesn’t!

The last few months of 2018 were miserable, wet and autumnal, but temperatures did not really dip too much and remained several degrees above freezing. Plants and trees that would normally be dormant at this time of year were still alive and active. Of course, in the case of our vines, not only do the plants need to have a dormant period (helping to reduce bacteria and having a therapeutic effect), but freezing conditions can also help to kill off vineyard insects and pests.

It was not until the New Year (quite literally from the turn of the year) that the skies cleared, to give us almost unbroken sunshine from dawn ’til dusk, and of course, with clear night skies, a drop in temperature. During the day the thermometer has been hitting the mid-teens in Centigrade (around 60°F), whilst at night it has just about reached freezing point – but certainly enough to give us ground frost in rural areas. Although wind has not really been a feature, airflow has been from the north, providing us with a real nip in the air. The upside of this is, however, that it provides our guys with very pleasant conditions for pruning.

Often, when I meet or talk to friends from the UK they ask me what the weather is like in Galicia (so it’s not only me that is obsessed by the weather). Apart from a couple of recent climate aberrations, my reply is usually the same. It’s actually quite similar to the UK, but maybe a few degrees warmer. (I think the majority believe that I am living in something more akin to a Mediterranean climate and that the sun shines every day, and so they are usually quite surprised by my answer).

The fact is that our climate is quite moderate, not excessively cold, nor excessively hot, the significant factor being the damp and often penetrating humidity that we have pretty much year round. This is, of course, why our D.O. does not really produce organic or biodynamic wines – sustainable yes, but organic very, very difficult, if not impossible.

Going back to my original point, I took a quick photo of my TV screen this morning, which rather illustrates my theory. Many of the weather systems (usually arriving from the Atlantic), have fronts extending from southwest to northeast. As you will see from the forecast, this means that weather arriving in the UK, often clips across our location in Northwest Spain as well as the Bay of Biscay before hitting UK shores. Obviously, the slightly higher average temperature comes simply from being that bit closer to the equator. Please note that the rest of Spain is bathed in winter sun under a High Pressure system!

As the rain pours down outside, and in the period before pruning begins, we are still catching up on jobs inside the bodega.

You may recall that several months ago we had a serious filtration of water in the roof (tank room) of the bodega, and that at first, we were not even sure where it originated from (water will always find the nearest and easiest escape route). Eventually, after much digging and breaking of cement, we were convinced that we had found the source, but even then, we were not 100% certain. We simply had to wait and see.

Fortunately, everything has remained dry since then, and after some long periods of warm weather, we now feel that the structure has finally dried out. Of course this means that it can be repaired and re-painted – which is exactly what we are doing now.

To be honest the difference is not very noticeable, as it’s rare that we walk around staring up at the ceiling, but at least it now looks much more presentable for when we have visitors. Amazing what a simple lick of paint can do.