Weather hits DO ValdepeƱas harvest
DO Valdepeñas dhas reported a 5% drop in this year’s harvest compared to 2016, ending the season with a total of 93.4 million kilos of grapes.
This represents a 5.7 million kilo drop compared to the previous year. The decline, which was more marked in white than red grapes, was caused largely by the weather, with very little rain and high temperatures in the summer, according to the DO. It added that other Spanish regions had seen steeper declines due to more significant weather conditions including hail.
The harvest progressed much as normal, and the 2,500 wine growers in the region picked their grapes in “perfect sanitary” conditions and high quality standards.
“This years quality predicts a good classificiation of 2016’s vintage, although we could have to wait until March when mmost of the wines are ready and certified” said the DO, which comprises around 22,000 hectare of vineyards certified in this appellation.
Around 38 million kilos are white grapes (Muscatel de Grano Menudo, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Macabeno, Verdejo and Aiern), and 55.4 million kiles are red grapes including Petit Verdot, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, syrah and Tempranillo.
The maximum yields per hectare in order to make wines under DO Valdepeñas are 6,000 kilos for red grapes and 7,500 for white grapes. Vineyards whose grapes are used for table wines or other quality standards had suffered from “greater decreases,” according to DO Valdepeñas .
DO Valdepeñas which claims to the be the scond appellation in the Spanish off trade said this years weather conditions in the area had presented high temperatures and scarce rain during spring and sumer, which resulted in an early harvest (around 15 days sooner than 2016), and the grapes had a normal maturation cycle, according to the characteristics of the area.